The Big Four: The Shadows Rise
by Vsyo vo mrake nochi
Summary: There are four worlds, separated by nothing more than a shadow. On these worlds are four great heroes and together they shall traverse entire dimensions to save their families, friends and home worlds. But there is a threat greater than any other. Can Jack Frost, Merida, Hiccup and Rapunzel stand against the Darkness... or will they fall to it's evil and madness like everyone else?
1. Chapter 1

The Big Four: The Shadows Rise

* * *

Prologue: Dark Revival

Long ago, long before the Man-in-the-Moon, there was the Darkness; a force of shadow, silence and madness. From this Darkness came all evil, nightmares, fears and insanity. These were the dark ages before the first lights shone.

But then came the Golden ages when the darkness was driven away and was replaced with golden dreams.

But evil is never truly extinguished. There is always somewhere for darkness to get a grip in this world.

* * *

The Kingdom of Corona

Inside a small gorge in the middle of a forest was a tower. It was tall and abandoned. The interior walls were painted with intricately designed swirls and suns. In a patch of blue was painted hundreds of yellow lights and sitting in a tree below the lights was a young girl with long, golden hair.

At the bottom of the tower was a cloak and under the cloak was a pile of dust and ash. This dust had once been a woman who answered the name of Mother Gothel, but she was now dead... or was she?

A shadow crept down the walls of the gully and slithered across the ground. It found the cloak and the dust and twisted around it. The dust rose up in a column. The cloak fell around the dust and both fell to the ground. The hood fell back... and a woman with black curly hair was revealed. She gasped and coughed.

Her name was Mother Gothel... and there was only one thought in her head: Revenge.

* * *

The Meridian of Misery

On an island far from civilisation, there was once a nest of dragons, but that nest now lies in ruins. The dragons had since relocated to a new nesting site. There was no remaining sign of any dragon... except for the massive corpse of a gigantic creature; the

Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus. This particular specimen was known as the Red Death. It was truly a vast creature; twenty times the size of a T-Rex. When it was alive, it killed for sport.

Now that it was dead however, peace had returned to the Meridian of Misery... but would it last?

A shadow flowed across the beach. The waves seemed to recoil. The sky dimmed. When it reached the corpse of the Red Death, the blackness rose up and flowed around the carcass, covering it with the texture of oil.

A small Gronkle hovered past the mound of black. It moved a little closer. A small rumble echoed from the mass of dark. The Gronkle moved closer. Stupid mistake.

WHOOSH! A roar of white hot flame burst forth. There was nothing left of the Gronkle except a charred, blackened skeleton. From the blackness came the Red Death... although it was twenty times smaller than it originally was.

It's bellowing roar was still loud enough the shake the horizon. The only thought in it's skull was revenge.

* * *

Scotland, Kingdom of Dunbroch

Ancient Scotland is a truely magical place; misty mountains, dark woods, deep waters and every know and then an Eagle's scream.

In the centre of one of the woods, not far from castle Dunbroch, is a ring of stones. Tiny flashes of blue appear every now and then. These are Will-o-the-Wisps, tiny sprites that in the legends of Scotland lead you to your fate. But let your eye travel unto... this stone.

It lies flat on the ground. It's base is crumbled and broken. Trapped beneath the stone... is a massive, black bear paw. This paw belonged to Mor'du the Demon bear before it's defeat.

The forest shuddered. A blackness flowed out of the soil. It leached out of the stones. The shadows converged on the paw. The paw was tugged under the stone. There was a rumble, a brief silence... and the stone was smashed into dust.

A massive, deformed black bear rose up from the regolith of the stone. Spears and arrows were buried in it's back. It's body was covered in scar tissue. One of it's eyes was shining yellow, the other was dead. The demon bear roared, the trees quaked.

All that was left of this bear's instincts was a desire for revenge.

* * *

?

Deep beneath the ground, in a dark cavern, a figure lay curled on the ground. He wasn't dead, but he was crippled. He was very weak. No fear and little belief left him starved and unable to heal.

This figure was named Pitch. He was also known as the Boogeyman. Every night he was either plagued with nightmares of his downfall or sweet dreams of revenge.

The blackness flowed into the caverns. Pitch opened his eyes. The blackness curled around Pitch's head. He felt his strength restore slowly, but surely. For the first time in months, Pitch had the strength to rise to his feet.

'Where is this place?' came a voice. Pitch turned. A tall woman with black, curly hair was standing there. She seemed rather austere. 'Who are you?' she snapped. 'I was about to ask the same of you,' Pitch responded coolly.

The woman blasted a fire bolt at Pitch who dissolved into the shadows and reappeared behind her. 'My name is Madam Gothel,' the woman said. 'Charmed,' Pitch said extending a hand for a handshake which Gothel refused. 'And my name is Pitch Black,' Pitch continued withdrawing his hand.

A roar echoed through the cavern. Gothel and Pitch whipped around. A massive black bear rose up from out of the cavern and roared at the the two humans. 'Is that Mor'du?' Pitch said. Mor'du dropped to all fours and stepped forwards. He growled. 'The legendary demon bear?' Gothel said.

A second, even louder roar reverberated throughout the cave. A massive dragon smashed through the rock wall of the cave. It roared and spat a jet of flame which Pitch blocked with a wall of nightmare sand. The dragon brought it's head close to the gathering. Mor'du slashed with his claws and the dragon stumbled back before stepping forwards again and butting Mor'du with it's head.

A rumble echoed through the cave. Everyone stopped moving. A shadow appeared on the wall. All four figures turned to face it. The shadow resolved into a figure of a girl with long flowing hair. 'Rapunzel,' Gothel snarled and she threw a rock at the shadow.

The shadow changed. It was now a young boy. It would have looked unremarkable if it wasn't for the metal artificial foot on the end of the left leg. 'Hiccup,' the dragon thought. It snarled and spat a jet of fire.

The shadow changed again. It was now a young girl with large curly, hair and she was carrying a bow and arrows. 'Princess Merida,' Mor'du thought. He growled. A drop of saliva slid down his chops.

The shadow changed one last time. Another boy was standing there. This one was unremarkable except for the long staff it was holding. 'Jack Frost,' Pitch snarled.

Pitch was the first to realise. 'Each of these figures is one of our personal foes.' 'So it seems,' Gothel said. The dragon sniffed. Mor'du growled softly. Pitch smiled. 'I have a plan that will benefit each of us.' 'And what can you offer us Black?' Gothel asked coolly. Pitch smiled and said: "Revenge and power!"

* * *

**_Please be gentle with reviews, this is the first Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons fanfic I have ever attempted._**


	2. Chapter 2: We need your help

Chapter 2: We need your help

* * *

The Man-in-the-Moon watched the Earth. He protected it's people and guarded it's dreams. And when he couldn't go down to the planet below, his Guardians would carry out his orders. He sat in the library, pouring over books. He flicked through the Primer of Planets that had once belonged to his mother.

He looked up to the sky. His mother and father smiled down at him. MiM closed his eyes. He remembered as if it were yesterday, the battle that had defeated Pitch, blasted his parents into constellations and stranded him in the Earth's orbit. He closed the Primer and sighed. How he missed them.

A squeak made him look down. One of the Moon-mice was looking up at him. It squeaked frantically, gesturing hurriedly. MiM followed the mouse to his largest telescope. He focused the lens and peered through. A icy fear ran through his veins. It couldn't be. It was impossible. It had been missing for thousands of years. It hadn't been seen since long before the Golden Ages.

MiM hadn't felt this terrified before in his long, long life. MiM looked past the telescope at the Earth on the lunar horizon. It's blue Earth-shine had turned grey, like a thin veil of smog was covering the planet.

MiM turned and hurried back to the library, huffing and puffing. He had to stop to take a breath. He scolded himself for being so unfit. He had been trapped on the Moon since he was a baby. He had been spending much of his time sitting at his telescopes, keeping an eye on the world below and the meals the Moon-bots prepared were very rich. In other words, he was putting on weight.

When he finally returned to the library, he opened the Primer of Planets and flicked through to the last page. There was the very thing he feared. A drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead. This was a threat that not even his Guardians could battle alone. He needed new recruits.

MiM got to his feet and strode down the shelves. His fingers brushed across the titles. He paused and pulled down three particular volumes; "The Kingdom of Corona" "The Revised Book of Dragons" and "Legends of Ancient Scotland." He browsed through the pages of each book and found the three names he was looking for. He smiled.

* * *

The Kingdom of Corona

Princess Rapunzel Fitzherbert looked through her bedroom window in the castle, holding her paintbrush vertically against the horizon. 'Hmm,' Rapunzel said, measuring with her thumb and forefinger. Gently, she began painting the ripples on the water. Pascal squeaked, holding a second paintbrush. 'Yep, I think I've the basic shape of the lake,' Rapunzel said.

She sighed. It was just herself and Pascal in the castle as the King and Queen were away on a stately visit and Eugene was also away with Maximus dealing with a little scuffle in a distant village. Rapunzel reached up to toy with her long, blonde hair... then she remembered that her hair had been cut. It was now short and brown.

She looked up, looked back at her painting... then did a double take. The full moon was on the horizon which was very strange as it was the middle of the day. She squinted at it. 'Pascal, are you seeing that?' Rapunzel said, pointing with the tip of her brush. Pascal squeaked in confirmation. Rapunzel scratched her head.

The moon began to glow brightly. A second shadow began to form on the ground. Gasp and cries began to echo up from the streets below. Pascal jumped into Rapunzel's pocket and changed colour to blend in. All that could be seen were two very nervous eyes. A shape began to form in the middle of her room.

Rapunzel reached under her bed and pulled out her trusty frying pan. 'I'm ready for you,' Rapunzel said, betraying a slight hint of nervousness. A face began to form in the middle of the tunnel of moonlight. Rapunzel took a deep breath. Her eyes narrowed. Her grip tightened. The face turned clear. Rapunzel's jaw dropped.

It was the kindest face Rapunzel had ever seen. The eyes were soft and looked slightly sleepy. The gentle smile seemed to create an atmosphere of sheer calm. When the figure spoke, Rapunzel felt as calm as if she had just sunk into a hot bath.

'Rapunzel Fitzherbert, listen closely to me.' Rapunzel felt content. 'I am the Man-in-the-Moon,' the figure said. Rapunzel sat down on her bed. 'How did you find me?' Rapunzel asked. 'I know where everyone is,' MiM said. His face leaned in towards Rapunzel's. 'We need your help.' Rapunzel's eyes widened. 'My help?' she asked, with her hand pressed to her chest. 'Yes.'

'Why me?' 'You have a remarkable gift,' MiM said. Rapunzel closed her eyes. 'You're a bit late for that,' Rapunzel said, blushing with embarrassment, 'My hair has been cut.' To her surprise, MiM chuckled. Rapunzel opened her eyes. 'What are you talking about.' Rapunzel hesitated. It was then she felt the light pressure on her back. Pascal squeaked in amazement.

Rapunzel turned. She gasped in astonishment. Her hair had regrown. It cascaded down her back and onto the floor. She lifted it in her hands. Would it still work? She closed her eyes and began to sing.

_'Flower, gleam and glow_

_let your power shine,_

_make the clock reverse_

_bring back what once was mine'_

A tingle rushed over her head. Her hair began to glow. It suddenly shone bright gold. The gold rushed down the 70ft of her hair. She lifted a strand of the hair and wrapped it around a small paper-cut she had received yesterday.

_'Heal what has been hurt,_

_change the fates design,_

_save what has been lost,_

_bring back what once was mine,_

_what once was mine.'_

The paper-cut tingled. When she stopped singing, she unwrapped the hair. The cut was completely healed. She turned it over. She was speechless.

'Will you help us?' MiM said. Rapunzel looked up at the face. 'YES!' she cried, leaping to her feet. The instant she said yes, the world turned silver and Rapunzel felt as if she was falling through the air.

* * *

The Island of Berk

Hiccup Haddock sat at his desk sketching his dragon, Toothless. He was rewriting the book of dragons and was adding the page on the Night Fury. He slowly drew the curving lines of Toothless's wings. Toothless twitched from being still for too long. 'Keep still bud,' Hiccup said. Toothless growled with impatience.

It was the middle of the night and he was alone in the house currently. His father was performing a quick sweep of the island on Thornado, and the rest of the D.T.A. were asleep with their own dragons (not in the same bed of course.)

A blueish-white light began to filter through the walls of his Hiccup's bedroom. Toothless whimpered at the sight of it and cowered in the corner. Hiccup got to his feet and slowly headed down the stairs. Toothless yelped and pulled on Hiccup's trousers in an attempt to pull him back. It's alright Toothless,' Hiccup said. Toothless whimpered again.

Hiccup reached the front door and pulled it open. Toothless ran forward and slammed it shut. 'Toothless, what's up with you?' Hiccup said as his dragon shook it's head nervously. 'Toothless, you're a dragon, you can shoot plasma blasts,' Hiccup said, patting Toothless on the muzzle. Toothless made a sound of consent. Hiccup took a breath... and threw open the front door.

A column of silvery light was standing outside the house. Toothless snarled at it, but Hiccup was fascinated. He stepped forward. Toothless moaned and tried to pull Hiccup back. 'Toothless, stop it,' Hiccup said sternly. There was a faint whooshing noise and Hiccup turned back the light. Hiccup gasped. A face had appeared in the light.

It spoke in a voice that caused Toothless to instantly calm down. 'There he is,' it said, 'Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III.' Hiccup felt stunned. 'How do you know who I am?' 'I am the Man-in-the-Moon, I know who everyone is,' MiM said. 'Uhh,' Hiccup hesitated. Toothless stepped forward. A hand appeared and gently patted Toothless on the head. He purred with comfort.

'If you're the man in the moon,' Hiccup began 'what do you want with me?' MiM smiled. 'You have a unique gift Hiccup,' MiM said 'And we need your help.' Hiccup felt confused. 'A gift? What gift?' 'Do I really need to tell you?' MiM said. 'You have a unique affinity with dragons. That is can be very valuable to us.'

'Will you help us?' 'What happens if I don't?' MiM's smile faded. 'You and your Dragon might make all the difference. If you don't help, Berk will be destroyed and that won't be the worst consequence.' Hiccup went pale.

'Will you help us?' MiM asked again. 'Yes,' Hiccup said without a second of hesitation. 'Can I...?' He began to ask, but MiM answered before Hiccup finished. 'Yes, you may bring your dragon, in fact you MUST bring your dragon.'

After that, all Hiccup knew was a bright flash of silver light and a sensation of falling.

* * *

The Clan of Dunbroch

'COME ON ANGUS!' Merida Dunbroch cried as she rode her horse through the woods with the full moon shining overhead. She raised her bow and drew the arrow. Angus galloped forward and jumped over the log. Merida released the string and the arrow shot through the air and struck the stump of the branch with a hundred arrows already buried in it. Instantly, Merida whipped around and shot an arrow at a distant target. It struck the dead centre.

'WOO HOO!' Merida screamed happily. Merida tensed her bow again and shot another arrow at the target ahead of her. It was a bulls-eye. The target swiveled around on its rope. As Angus rushed past, Merida swiveled around on her saddle and aimed a second arrow at the target which was now facing her again. She released the arrow and it shot towards the target. It hit the first arrow in it's dead centre, split it down the middle and buried itself in the target.

'YEEESSS! Merida bellowed at the top of her voice. Her ecstasy was short lived as Angus suddenly stopped and threw Merida off. She shot through the air and skidded along the ground. She eventually came to a halt on her stomach. She rolled onto her back. 'Ach, Crivens,' she groaned as she sat up. Her jaw dropped when she realised where she had landed; she was in the middle of the circle of stones.

'Angus, why d'ya bring meh 'ere?' Merida said turning to her horse. Unfortunately, Angus had bolted. 'ANGUS, COME BACK 'ERE! Merida shouted after him, but Angus had long since galloped out of ear-shot. 'ANGUS,' Merida shouted again. 'Ach, Bloody horses,' she grumbled to herself. She turned back to the centre of the circle... and jumped.

A sphere of silver light had appeared in the middle of the circle. Merida drew her bow and arrow and aimed it at the light sphere. Slowly a face began to form in the sphere. 'What are ya?' Merida demanded as the face began to resolve into a higher clarity. Merida lowered the arrow. The face was the kindest she had ever seen... if a little chubby.

'Princess Merida Dunbroch, please listen closely to me,' the face said. Merida frowned. 'I'll listen to yeh if yeh dinnae call me "Princess" again.' The face looked a little surprised, but continued nontheless. 'I am the Man-in-the-Moon.' 'Never heard of 'im,' Merida lied, she didn't want to seem like some childish, ignorant princess like you read about in fairy tales.

MiM seemed even more surprised at this, but he recovered himself. 'I have urgent need of you and your abilities.' Merida sighed. He needed her bow arm. 'Why should I help yeh?' Merida said. She didn't like being told what to do, as her mother knew full well. 'Because your entire clan is in danger, this entire country,' MiM said. 'And that is only the lighter side of the consequences.' Merida's interest was piqued.

'Ah'm sorry,' Merida said, slightly ashamed. 'Will you help Merida?' MiM said. 'Aye,' Merida said. She might not like being told what to do, but she would do anything for her family. MiM blinked slowly. There was a swirl of light and Merida was suddenly falling through a silver tunnel.

* * *

Pitch's lair

Pitch was smiling to himself. 'I can see the path to our magnificent return to power,' he cackled. 'Quite,' Gothel said. 'We've all been exiled, persecuted, left alone with no defence.' 'And when I think of what those brutes did,' Pitch continued, 'I get a little tense.' He turned back to the main cavern. 'But I dream a dream so perfect, that I don't feel so depressed,' he said, trailing a finger along Mor'du's spine. 'Cause it soothes my inner demon and it helps me get some rest.'

He leapt down to his globe and conjured an image of Jack Frost. 'The sound of Jack Frost's dying gasps, the Guardians screaming in my grasp, a symphony of death, oh my,' Pitch took a deep, pleasured breath before continuing 'That's my Lullaby.'

'The pounding of the drums of war,' Gothel sang, 'The thrill of Mor'du's mighty roar, the joy of vengeance, testify,' Pitch laughed. 'I can hear the screaming, now the time is nearing and then our flag shall fly.' 'Against a blood-red sky,' Gothel added. She and Pitch sang the last verse and Mor'du and the Red Death roared along with them. 'That's our Lullaby!'

* * *

North Pole

A sand aeroplane flew into the Globe room. It dissolved and out of the sand-cloud flew Sandy. He looked very irritated. A small hole in the ground appeared and out of it leapt Bunnymund. A window opened and in flew Toothiana. A second window opened and Jack Frost entered. 'What's up North?' he asked. North turned to face the Guardians.

'I have received message from Man-in-Moon,' North said. Sandy, who had just taken a gulp of Eggnog, choked silently. Tooth thumped him on the back. 'What did he say mate?' Bunny asked. 'He said "A new threat has appeared to this world. This time we cannot face it alone.' 'WHAT?' Bunny, Tooth and Jack said together. 'Man-in-Moon said that he has recruited new Guardians. He is bringing them here.'

There was a flash and three portals opened. Out of them fell Rapunzel, Hiccup and Merida.

* * *

**The song sung in Pitch's lair is from The Lion King 2, I thought it was appropriate. **


	3. Chapter 3: Chilly Introductions

Chapter 3: Chilly introductions

**Written in a bit of a hurry. Appologies. **

* * *

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Kids?" he thought. Merida, Rapunzel and Hiccup got to their feet. Hiccup looked around the massive globe room in awe. Merida tried to look unimpressed, but wasn't doing very well. 'Ah, here you all are,' North said jollily, stepping forward. Rapunzel squeaked at the sight of the massive figure of North and dived behind a chair.

Merida laughed (slightly cruelly) at Rapunzel. 'Aw, wee lamb,' she said. Rapunzel looked quite affronted. She stood up. 'Really? Well, tell that to my frying pan,' she said with a cocky smile, twirling the pan through her fingers. CLANG! The frying pan hit her on the head. Hiccup winced. 'You've gotta be kidding me,' Jack said. Everyone turned to look at him. 'Seriously, kids?!' Jack said in disbelief gesturing to the three.

'And what d'ya mean by that ye scunner?' Merida snapped, stepping towards Jack, brandishing an arrow. Jack looked a bit bemused by Merida's aggressive nature. Hiccup and Rapunzel seemed a tiny bit surprised as well. 'Umm,' Hiccup hesitated, 'I was insulted as well, but there wasn't any reason to...' 'SHUT IT, whoever you are!' Merida snapped turning on Hiccup who backed away in alarm.

'Can't you at least get down to introductions before you start verbally battling each other?' Tooth said nervously. 'I'm fine with that,' Rapunzel said, 'I'm Rapunzel Fitzherbert.' Jack laughed. 'Seriously?' he said. 'Yeah, why?' Rapunzel asked confused. 'No reason,' Jack said smiling. 'No, obviously I've said something very amusing,' Rapunzel said with her brow furrowed. She tapped her foot on the ground.

'And what is your name?' North asked Hiccup. 'Hiccup Haddock,' Hiccup said. Jack, Merida, Rapu- well everyone snorted with laughter... except for Sandy who was silent. Hiccup blushed. 'That is so lame,' Merida said chuckling. At this point there was a flash and a dragon appeared next to Hiccup. 'Toothless,' Hiccup said with delight, patting his dragon on the snout. Hiccup looked over at Merida. 'Okay, it's not so lame,' she said.

'Toothless?' Tooth said flying up to the dragon and peering at the gums. She sighed sadly. 'No teeth.' Toothless growled. SHINK! Toothless's razor-sharp teeth shot through the gum-line. There was a brief silence. 'OH MY GOD! RETRACTABLE TEETH!' Tooth screamed in delight and pulled open his jaws to inspect the teeth. Toothless looked confused and surprised... as did everyone else.

'Anyway,' Merida said, 'Ahm Merida, first born of clan Dunbroch.' 'Oh well aren't we all honoured,' Jack said sarcastically. 'As ye should be,' Merida said smiling. 'You remind me a lot of my friend Snotlout,' Hiccup said. 'Snotlout?' Merida said, 'Isn't that a viking name?' 'Yeah, why?' Hiccup asked. 'Are ye a viking?' 'Yes.' WHAM! Merida shook out her fist as Hiccup rubbed his jaw. 'Ye bloody vikings tried te invade Scotland.'

'And I'm Jack since no one cared to ask,' said the boy of the same name. 'I was about to ask,' Hiccup said, raising his hand. 'And I'm North and these three are Bunny, Sandy and Too- Tooth leave the dragon's mouth alone,' North said to the fairy who still had her head stuck down Toothless's throat. 'Yeah, in a minute,' Tooth's voice echoed up from deep down in the dragon's gullet. 'Is she always like that?' Rapunzel asked. 'Fairly consistently,' Jack said simply.

'There's a small amount of decay on this molar,' came Tooth's voice, 'No matter.' She took out a small toothbrush and began to brush. At this point, Toothless gave a cough and a small amount of smoke flew out of his mouth. When Tooth withdrew from the dragon's jaws, her feathers were covered with soot. 'We're never short of laughs in this business,' Bunny said, smiling.

At this point, an alarm started blaring and a light began to flash on the globe... right over the site of Sandy's Sandship. Sandy looked shocked and terrified. 'What is that?' Merida asked pointing at the light. 'The Sandship is under attack,' North said, 'Quickly, we must go.' At this point, a second light began flashing over the Tooth Palace. 'MY PALACE!' Tooth shrieked, 'THE TEETH ARE THREATENED!'

'North, Sandy, Bunny and myself will go straight to the palace. Jack; you, Merida, Rapunzel and Hiccup will go to the Sandship.' Before anyone could protest, the Guardians had sprinted off to the sleigh bay. 'Why... how... what are we supposed to do?' Rapunzel asked. Jack smiled and pulled something out of his pocket. 'I have a shortcut.' He was holding a snowglobe. Jack leapt into the air and flew up to the hole into the ceiling.

'Are you coming or not?' He called down to the others. 'In case ye've forgotten ye twally, the rest of us cannae fly,' Merida said. 'Toothless can fly,' Hiccup said. 'I'm nae gonna ride on tha' thing with ye, ye damned viking,' Merida snapped. 'I didn't know you Scots were so aggressive,' Rapunzel said. 'No, that's just me,' Merida said.

'We have no time to argue; get on the dragon!' Jack snapped.

* * *

After a while, Merida was tied up on Toothless's back with Rapunzel's hair who was sitting behind Hiccup. 'Let's go bud,' Hiccup said, locking his metal leg into the stirrup. Toothless roared and took flight at once. 'AAAAAAHHHHHH!' Rapunzel screamed as they burst through the roof. Toothless did a loop-the-loop before following Jack.

'I say SANDSHIP,' Jack said into the snowglobe. He shook it and threw it straight ahead. It exploded and conjured a portal. Toothless roared in panic and turned away, but not even a Night Fury is strong enough to fly against the suction of one of North's snowglobes. Toothless, Hiccup, Rapunzel and Merida were tugged into the Portal.

'How do I get into these situations?' Jack asked himself. Once on the other side of the portal, Toothless tumbled through the air before pulling himself back up. 'WHOA!' Rapunzel and Hiccup said. 'Mmph!' Merida said through Rapunzel's hair. Silhouetted against the setting sun, glimmering with specks of gold, was the mighty Sandship.

'That's amazing,' Rapunzel gasped. 'Hang on, what's that?' Hiccup said pointing. Black streaks were shooting around the bow of the ship. 'NIGHTMARES!' Jack yelled in panic. He pointed his staff and shot a blast of ice which froze three of the nightmares. 'Toothless, plasma blast!' Hiccup yelled. BANG! A blast of purple energy flew forth from Toothless's jaws, blasting more of the fearlings.

Rapunzel quickly unravelled Merida. The fiery red-head grabbed her bow and arrows and fired a single arrow; it shot straight through five of the nightmares, destroying each one. 'Nice shot,' Rapunzel said. 'Dinnae try and get back in ma good books,' Merida said back. Jack lead the Toothless into the Sandship.

Massive patches of black were appearing on the gold of the sandship. 'What's happening?' Hiccup yelled. 'I have a horrid suspicion,' Jack answered from in front. Jack lead them all up to the bridge. Both he and Toothless landed. Merida, Hiccup and Rapunzel jumped off of Toothless's back. The brief moment of calm was short lived.

With a mighty roar, a massive dragon burst through the wall of the Sandship. Hiccup looked shocked. 'The Red Death,' he said, 'Though a bit smaller than I remember.' Toothless looked aggressively at the Red Death. In draconian, Toothless said _'I killed you, Red Death.' 'Yes you did,' _came the response. That stumped Toothless a bit.

A second roar echoed through the Bridge. A massive bear with a dead eye and spears and arrows embedded in it's back pounded into the bridge. It growled at Merida who for the first time looked scared. 'Mor'du,' she whispered, 'But you were crushed to death.'

'Indeed,' came a female voice, 'Nice to see you again my step-daughter.' Rapunzel went pale. 'No,' she said 'It can't be.' 'But it is,' and out of the dark stepped Mother Gothel. Rapunzel brandished her frying pan. 'You died, I saw you myself. You fell out of the tower window.'

'I have to say that this is all very exciting,' came a deep voice that reverberated through out the ship. Jack's eyes widened. 'No,' he whispered. 'Not him, anyone but him.' His hands trembled and his staff shook. 'Not...'

Pitch stepped out of the shadows of the ship. 'Pitch.' A tear ran down Jack's face in fear. The cold laughter brought chills to even Jack.


	4. Chapter 4: New friends and Old foes

Chapter 4: New friends and old foes

* * *

'So who are you all?' Pitch asked three of the four. 'I know who you are Jack Frost, but who are your friends?' 'Jack Frost?' Gothel said before laughing cruelly. 'And there was I thinking he was only a legend.' Rapunzel, Hiccup and Merida turned to Jack. 'Jack Frost?' they said amazed. Merida sniggered. Jack scowled. Hiccup's jaw dropped. Jack Frost was worshiped as a god back on Berk as the spirit of winter.

'The girl with the hair that looks like it could be used to go hiking is Rapunzel,' Gothel continued. Rapunzel blushed. 'I can introduce myself, Gothel,' she snapped, brandishing her frying pan. Gothel laughed cruelly again. Pitch raised his hand to quieten her and she did so. She leant back on a pillar of sand.

'What of the girl who looks like her hair needs a lawnmower to cut it?' 'OI!' Merida shouted, 'Mah name's Merida Dunbroch.' Mor'du snarled. 'Shut yer muzzle,' Merida snapped at the ursine. Mor'du roared angrily and stepped forward. 'Stop,' Pitch said, raising his hand. Mor'du sat down and continued to glare at the princess.

'And the boy with the false leg?' Pitch asked. 'I'm Hiccup,' the boy of the same name said, 'Son of Stoick the Vast.' 'YOU'RE WHAT!?' Merida screamed. She pulled a dagger out of her pocket and charged at Hiccup who ran behind Toothless who in turn growled at Merida. 'I thought they were the bad guys,' Jack said pointing at the Evil Four. 'If this keeps going, we won't have to lift a finger to stop them,' Pitch chuckled.

Toothless growled again. The Red Death growled back. 'Calm down bud,' Hiccup said, patting his dragon. 'It is nice to see you all at last,' Pitch said suavely, 'But I am tired of this. We have much more important business to attend to. Nightmares: Attack!' Pitch demanded. The black patches on the walls ruptured and nightmares burst out.

With a quick swing, Rapunzel struck one of the nightmares on the head with her frying pan. It collapsed. Merida aimed her bow and arrow and fired. Arrows soared through the sandship. One hit a nightmare charging at Hiccup. 'Thanks,' Hiccup called over to her. 'Ah was aimin' at you,' Merida said, but she was smiling. Jack was firing ice blasts and Toothless was blasting plasma bolts. Hiccup pulled out one of his axes he had made himself as these were lighter than traditional Viking axes.

Jack froze several nightmares to the ground. Hiccup swung his axe, knocking down the nightmares. Merida jumped up and fired three arrows at once. Each hit it's target. Rapunzel threw her hair up to a loop in the ceiling and swung herself across the bridge, whacking every nightmare she passed. Toothless lashed his tail around, knocking down nightmares behind him and blasting plasma bolts from his jaws.

* * *

Pitch watched, mildly impressed at the fighting skills of the teenagers. Gothel looked slighty worried. 'If they can fight this well, shouldn't we get out of here?' Pitch took a moment to answer. 'It goes against my desires, but we should retreat...' he paused, 'But not before I launch a small attack of my own.'

Pitch leapt down into battle. He conjured his weapon. 'Your time is finished!' A quick spin on his scythe sent all of the big four spinning across the bridge. Their weapons were dropped as the four hit the ground. 'Stop this madness Pitch,' Jack shouted angrily. He reached for his staff, but Pitch stamped down on Jack's fingers. Jack yelled in pain and grabbed his hand. Toothless launched himself at the Boogeyman, but Pitch launched a blast of nightmare sand just as Toothless fired a plasma bolt. The plasma bolt hit the nightmare sand just as it entered the dragon's jaws. The explosion blasted Toothless back and in he rubbed his snout, whining in pain.

Merida snatched up her bow and fired an arrow at Pitch. Pitch turned and instantly caught the arrow between his forefinger and thumb. With one swift action, he snapped it in two. Merida snarled. Hiccup reached for his axe, but Gothel put her foot on the blade. 'I'd keep still if I were you,' she said with a silky voice. Hiccup reluctantly complied.

Pitch grabbed Jack's throat and pulled his face close. 'Soon, very soon, the Guardians will fall,' he whispered, 'And I will make sure that you are the first to die. Until next time Frost,' Pitch vanished in a cloud of black and reappeared on the Red Death's back. Mor'du and Gothel climbed on it's back as well and the dragon took flight. The Red Death burst out of the Sandship, turned to face the ship, opened it's jaws and fired a vast jet of flame at the crippled vessel. The sandship exploded into two massive pieces and began to fall to the ground. Pitch laughed as the Red Death flew into the night.

* * *

As the sandship plummeted towards the ground, Jack grabbed his staff and pulled himself up. Hiccup and Rapunzel clambered to their feet as well. Hiccup offered his hand to Merida. Merida reached out to take it, realised who it was and smacked the hand away. Toothless whinned and pulled himself up. Rapunzel was the first to pull herself onto the dragon's back.

There was a crash. A pillar collapsed onto Hiccup's leg, crushing it. He screamed in pain. 'Merida, help him,' Rapunzel shouted. 'No way,' Merida snapped. 'MERIDA!' Jack and Rapunzel shouted at her. Merida sighed. 'Bleedin' hearts of the world UNITE!' she screamed angrily. She stepped forward, kicked over the pillar and pulled Hiccup to his feet. He stared at her stunned. She slapped him. 'Don't yeh dare think ahm gonna save yer skin again,' she said, poking him in the belly. Hiccup nodded.

The two jumped onto the Toothless's back. 'Youch!' Hiccup yelled. His leg (the one that had been half-replaced) had been completely crushed. Rapunzel winced at the sight of it. Merida tried to look indifferent, but it was just possible to see a flash of concern in her eyes. Toothless roared and took flight, Jack leading the way through the collapsing sandship.

After a minute... WHOOSH! Toothless and Jack burst through the hull of the sandship into the open sky beyond. Four pairs of eyes turned to watch in sadness and shock as the mighty sandship disappeared through the cloud-bank and out of sight. 'I don't believe it,' Jack whispered. A tear formed in the corner of his eye before he blinked it away. Jack turned forward and yelled.

Nightmares charged at them out of the sky. Toothless banked left hard. A nightmare snapped it's jaws onto Toothless's real tail and he roared in pain and anger before breaking free. Toothless did a spiraling twirl in mid-air in an attempt to shake off the fearlings. Jack blasted the nightmares with a blizzard of ice shards, but it didn't seem to make a difference.

Merida fired her arrows as fast as she possibly could, but for every nightmare she took down, ten more seemed to take their place. She reached for another arrow... and found she was completely out of them. She gulped. She pulled out her bow instead and was forced to use it instead to swipe at any passing nightmare, but she was no more successful than Jack's blizzard. Nor was Hiccup's axe. Toothless opened his jaws to blast another horde of fearlings... and found he was out of ammunition as well.

'What are these things?' Rapunzel shouted through the raging roars of the nightmares. 'These are nightmares,' Jack shouted, 'Creatures of darkness and fear.' At this, a thought came to Rapunzel. 'Darkness?' 'Yes.' 'I've got a plan,' Rapunzel cried as the nightmares began to circle them. 'What?' Hiccup asked turning to face her. The nightmares were forming a ball around them. _'Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine...'_

At this point, the nightmares enclosed them all in the tight, black-sand globe. There was silence for a moment... and then a bright, golden light burst through the ball. The nightmares screamed and flew away as fast as they could. Jack, Merida and Hiccup lowered their hands from their eyes and stared at Rapunzel who continued to sing as her long hair shone bright gold.

_'Heal what has been hurt,_

_change the fates design,_

_save what has been lost,_

_bring back what once was mine,_

_what once was mine.'_

As she sung, the rays of light from her hair sliced straight through the nightmares and fearlings. Pitch's demons disappeared into the sky. Rapunzel stopped singing. Her hair finished glowing. She passed out onto Hiccup's back. 'Ach, wake up ye scunner,' Merida said, slapping Rapunzel's face. It didn't make any difference.

'Toothless, bring us down!' Hiccup yelled. The Night Fury roared in response and dived through the atmosphere towards the ground. They broke through the cloud-bank and found that they were heading for the Chilean Andes. In the distance, the remnants of the sandship could be seen on the horizon. Jack looked away from the sad remnants of Sandy's dreamship as the dragon landed on the parched plains of the high Andes.

Toothless blasted the ground and created a small fire for everyone to warm themselves around. When the dragon hit the ground, the still unconscious Rapunzel fell off. Merida stepped down from the dragon in silence. She was shocked that she had lost all of her arrows. She had never felt so defenceless. Hiccup was in tears of pain as he stepped down from Toothless. His leg was as good as dead. Jack just sat on the ground. 'When she comes round, I think we should have a word with Rapunzel.'

* * *

_It watched them from high above. It had not seen power like this for many millennia... not since before the Golden ages. A drop of sunlight had somehow entered the girl's body._

_But that wasn't what interested it the most._

_That golden light that accompanied the healing... could that really be an exorcism wavelength?_

_If so... they had a minor problem._


	5. Chapter 5: Rapunzel's Hair

Chapter 5: Rapunzel's hair

* * *

A waning gibbous moon hovered over the plains of the high Andes. Jack stared up at the moon in the starry, night sky. Hiccup was sitting beside the purple fire that Toothless had made, nursing his crippled foot. He was wincing while he examined the mangled remains of the appendage that a couple of hours earlier had been a working leg. Merida was sitting on the opposite side of the fire, determinately avoiding Hiccup's gaze. Rapunzel was still out cold. They could tell because Rapunzel was snoring so loudly that her long, blonde hair was flapping around her head.

At long last, Rapunzel woke up. 'Oh you're awake then,' Hiccup said, looking over at her. Merida smiled patronizingly. 'Yeh cannae pull the wool over this boy's eyes can yeh,' Merida said, smiling sarcastically, 'Well done, yes she is awake. 7 outta 10 for observation.' 'Less of Princess Rapunzel,' Jack chuckled, floating over, 'More of a Sleeping Beauty.' Everyone chuckled... well, except for Rapunzel. 'What is so funny?' She asked, disgruntled. Everyone fought to keep a straight face. 'Nothing,' they all said together.

'Ow!' Hiccup yelped, grabbing his bleeding leg. 'What happened to your leg?' Rapunzel asked. Hiccup stared at her, dumbfounded and a little insulted. 'What happen...? Rapunzel, you were there and conscious at the time. Was it that memorable?!' Rapunzel gave Hiccup a slightly guilty look. 'Sorry,' she said. 'SORRY! I've lost my leg again and all you can say is "sorry?"' Hiccup yelled. Tears of anguish were running down his cheeks. 'Ach, here comes the water-fall,' Merida grumbled, lying down on her back.

Jack rolled his eyes. He expected Rapunzel to look at least slightly abashed, but if anything, she had a crafty look in her eyes. 'Oh, you won't have to worry about that,' Rapunzel said smiling. Hiccup looked extremely confused. Jack and Merida were also looking confused. 'Give me your leg Hiccup,' Rapunzel said, holding out her hand.

Looking even more bewildered than before, Hiccup held out his leg. Rapunzel took it in her lap and wrapped her long, blonde hair around his mangled limb. He winced as the hair tightened around his injuries. Merida and Jack looked closely at the hair. 'Hiccup, please don't freak out,' Rapunzel said gently to Hiccup, 'And that goes for you two as well.' Hiccup was now feeling slightly worried and was starting to have second thoughts. 'Um, maybe this was not such a good idea.' Rapunzel sighed, closed her eyes and began to sing.

_'Flower, gleam and glow,_

_let your power shine,'_

And indeed, Rapunzel's hair began to glow golden. The gold glow ran down her long blonde hair. Merida was rarely impressed, but this time she was slack-jawed with amazement. She was going to have to shoot a lot of arrows to vent her frustration of being amazed. Jack smiled toothily. 'Cool,' he said. Hiccup was looking mildly panicked. Toothless was just staring.

_'Make the clock reverse,_

_bring back what once was mine,'_

Hiccup turned his gaze from Rapunzel's face to his injured leg.

_'Heal what has been hurt,_

_change the fates design,'_

The gold light flowed down Rapunzel's hair that was wrapped around Hiccup's leg. He felt a strange tingle.

_'Save what has been lost,_

_bring back what once was mine,_

_what once was mine.'_

Rapunzel unwrapped her hair. Hiccup gasped. His leg was healed. He ran his hands over his revived limb. He began to remove the rest of Rapunzel's hair. CLUNK! Hiccup's metal foot fell off. In a frenzy, Hiccup pulled off all of the enchanted hair. His foot, the one he had lost to the Red Death, had regrown. He pulled it up to his eyes. His jaw dropped. He lowered his foot and stared at Rapunzel. A tear rolled down his cheek. He stood up and placed his foot upon the ground. He wiggled the toes.

He ran over to Rapunzel and hugged her tightly. He squeezed. Rapunzel was wheezing and began to turn blue. 'Hiccup', she gasped, 'Hiccup, let go of me.' Hiccup released her. 'Oh, sorry.' 'How did yeh do that' Merida asked, bending close to examine the hair. 'It's a long story,' Rapunzel said, tapping her fingernails together. 'Long time to tell it,' Merida said, sitting cross-legged on the ground. Rapunzel sighed.

'Well,' she began hesitantly, 'It started with the sun.' She took a deep breath and continued. 'Once upon a time...' 'EURGH!' the other three moaned. Even Toothless seemed disgusted by this childish beginning. 'Okay then, I'll start over.' She took a second breath. 'Once, long ago...' 'Can yeh nae tell the story without a fairy tale beginning?' Merida said, her head resting in her hands.

'In that case...' Rapunzel said stiffly, and taking a third breath she continued, 'Several hundred or so years before I was born,' she paused. 'Yes?' the other three said. 'Just waiting to see if you would actually listen this time,' Rapunzel quipped before carrying on. '... a single drop of golden sunlight fell from the heavens.' 'I'm used to hearing stories featuring the moon,' Jack said leaning back on a rock. Rapunzel glared at him. 'Sorry,' he said, holding his hands at shoulder height.

'Anyway,' Rapunzel continued, 'From that drop of sunlight grew a magic, golden flower which had the power to heal the sick and injured.' She gestured to Hiccup's leg. 'What has this got tae to with yeh hair?' 'Yeah, coming to that,' Rapunzel promised. 'Several centuries later, in the nearby kingdom of Corona, a queen was about to have a baby, but she suddenly fell ill.' Rapunzel closed her eyes. 'The king sent out all his people to look for the flower and after a long search they finally found it.'

'The flower was made into an elixir that the queen had to drink. The magic of the golden flower healed the queen and a healthy, baby princess was born with beautiful golden hair.' Rapunzel twirled her own hair through her fingers. Jack picked up on the hint. 'Was this princess's name Rapunzel by any chance?' he asked. Rapunzel blushed. 'Yeah,' she said. 'As if it was nae obvious enough,' Merida said. 'I didn't pick up on it,' Hiccup said tentatively. 'No surprise there,' Merida said smiling cheekily.

'And I'm guessing the healing abilities of the flower passed down to you through your mother?' Hiccup said turning to Rapunzel. 'Umm,' Rapunzel hesitated, 'I suppose.' Merida lay on her back. 'Ah could really go for a good dream right about now.' 'We should be getting some any moment now,' Jack said, smiling. Sure enough, floating through the skies were streams of golden sand. 'What's that?' Rapunzel asked, pointing. 'Dreamsand. Go to sleep and have some really pleasant dreams,' Jack yawned, closing his eyes.

And they all went to sleep. Unfortunately, Jack's prediction wasn't exactly what he hoped it would be.

* * *

His world was dark and Jack was terrified. He was falling through the pitch blackness, nothing visible in front of his face. He held his hand an inch in front of his eyes and waved vigorously. Nothing. It was cold. Very cold. Jack didn't normally feel the cold so the fact that he could this time worried him greatly. 'Hello?' he tried to say, but his voice was suppressed. Nonetheless, his voice echoed through the empty space.

He heard another echo. 'Jack, is that you?' It was Rapunzel's echo. 'I'm here,' Jack tried to call, but an echo was all that left his lips. 'Rapunzel? Jack? Where are you two?' Hiccup's echo called through the blackness. 'Ach, I thought we'd left you behind,' came Merida's echo. 'This time, I heard the joking in your voice,' Hiccup echoed. Merida sighed. It was true, she was starting to feel less prejudice against Hiccup.

Rapunzel shuddered. 'Did you feel that?' she asked, her voice echoing to her companions. 'Yeh mean that weird creeping chill?' Merida echoed back. 'Yeah, can you feel it too?' 'Nope, just a wild stab in the dark, which is incidentally what you'll be getting if you don't start being a bit more helpful.' Jack and Hiccup sniggered and then gasped. The cold swept over them all again, chilling them to the bone. 'Oh gods,' Hiccup echoed, holding his arms close to his chest and shuddering.

The darkness cleared slightly and Jack could see his friends floating in the black fog. 'Jack! There you are!' Rapunzel cried, waving to him. Jack swam through the blackness towards them, waving back at her. 'Jack!' Hiccup yelled. Merida waded through the treacle-thick substance that passed for air here, towards the rest of the group.

Something moved in the shadows. Jack whipped around. Nothing. A hiss sounded in the distance. Rapunzel twisted, panicked. Hiccup tried to move away, though he wasn't very successful. Even Merida felt worried. A rumble echoed. Something black with shimmering deep red eyes rushed them. They all screamed... and awoke.

Jack stared at the sky, breathing deeply. Hiccup, Rapunzel and Merida seemed a little traumatized as well. 'W-w-what the h-h-hell was th-th-that all about?' Hiccup gasped, rolling onto his front and pushing himself up. He was as white as a sheet, as were Rapunzel and Merida. Jack knew he must look little better.

'I know someone who could give an idea as to what's goin' on,' Merida said. She picked up a snowglobe that had rolled out of Jack's pocket. 'How's this work laddie?' Merida asked. 'You whisper your destination to it, shake it and then throw,' Jack said still lying on his back. Merida lifted the snowglobe to her lips, whispered something and threw the snowglobe forward. A portal sprang into being and before anyone could react, they were tugged into it. 'Not again!' Hiccup yelled.


	6. Chapter 6: The Witch and her spells

Chapter 6: The Witch and her Spells

* * *

Jack sat up. They had landed in the middle of a circle of stones. He didn't know why, but they made him... uneasy. He had seen many stone circles in his time (Stonehenge was one of his favourites), but this one had a sort of hidden charge. It made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck.

Rapunzel, Hiccup and Toothless pulled themselves to their feet as well. Toothless seemed to be feeling something as well judging by the way he was staring around himself. Hiccup was rubbing his arm and staring around at the stones shiftily. Rapunzel also seemed to be unnerved by the stones. Only Merida seemed to be alright.

'Merida, where the hell are we?' Jack asked. Merida was about to reply when... 'EEEKKK!' Rapunzel shrieked, leaping onto Hiccup's shoulders. A sound like sigh echoed through the circle. Everyone turned to the sound. A small, wispy, blue speck of light was floating a few inches above the ground.

Rapunzel was pointing her frying pan at the thing. 'Ach, put that doon,' Merida said, smiling. 'What is that?' Hiccup asked. 'It's a Will-o-the-wisp,' Merida said stepping towards it. She knelt beside the wisp. Jack and Hiccup stepped over to her. Rapunzel, still cowering, peeked over Hiccup's shoulder. Jack reached toward it. The wisp vanished. Jack grinned. 'Cool.'

Toothless leapt forward just as another wisp appeared. It vanished into Toothless's paws. He opened them. The wisp had vanished. Toothless stared at the space where the wisp had been. Another wisp appeared behind Toothless who whipped around and pounced again. CRACK! Toothless crashed into one of the standing stones and stood back up dazed.

A sudden trail of wisps appeared, leading off into the trees. Toothless sniffed excitedly and began to follow the trail into the woods. Hiccup smiled. 'He is such a kid in so many ways.' 'Takes after his master,' Merida said, ruffling Hiccup's hair. There was a brief silence as Merida realised what she had done. She quickly stepped away. 'Um,' she hesitated, 'This way.' She began to follow the wisp trail with Hiccup close behind. 'Did you see that?' Jack said amazed pointing to the receding figure of Merida. Rapunzel nodded.

* * *

-**It** _was watching them closely. There was no doubt about it now; the golden one possessed an exorcism wavelength. _**It**_ had attempted the aggravate the fiery scot against the viking and thereby lacerate apart their friendship bonds, but the golden one had somehow repelled _**It's**_ grip._

**It** _couldn't attack them now; the Will-o-the-wisps produced too powerful a purity wavelength, and there was a powerful soul in the forest _**It**_ would have to be wary of._

_No matter. There were other ways to kill a bird, extinguish a light... and crush a friendship._

_Mor'du and Red Death... they would be perfect._

* * *

'Are we there yet?' Jack asked for the umpteenth time. 'We'll get there when we get there,' Merida said through clenched teeth. She was annoyed, but for some reason she felt like laughing, not punching. She had been in a better mood for a while now. She was interrupted from her thoughts by Jack.

'-,' 'If yeh say "Are we there yet" once more,' Merida said brandishing her final arrow at Jack, 'I will stick this arrow straight up yer jacksie.' 'I wasn't gonna say "Are we there yet",' Jack said affronted. Merida smiled, turned to lead on and... 'Has our party arrived at the intended destination yet?' Jack said smiling widely. 'Yes,' Merida said. 'Really?' 'No.' 'Oh.' 'We have now though,' Merida finished as the last wisp disappeared.

They were standing outside a small hut in the middle of the wood. 'A small hut?' Hiccup said. 'Yeah, but,' Merida said waggling her finger. She paused. 'What did I do that for?' she asked herself, staring at her finger. 'Anyway, I know someone who can give us a hand.' They walked up to the door. 'Are you sure this is the right place?' Hiccup asked. 'Toothless is sitting there so I'd say it is,' Merida said. 'You go in first,' she said gesturing to the door.

A tinkling bell sounded above the door as the three entered. A ray of light entered through the grimy windows and cut through the dusty air. Dotted all around the hut were carvings, bowls and small toys, all built of wood. 'What is this place?' Jack asked, picking up a wooden bowl shaped like a bear's head.

'Ooh, hello dearie,' came a voice that caused them all to jump. A hunchback old woman was standing in the corner, chiseling a large oaken block. She had mismatched eyes, large ears, an extremely large nose and a lot of grey hair (some of which was on her chin). She was also wearing a tattered green shawl and her mouth would have made Tooth faint. 'Give a holler if yeh say anything yeh like,' she said smiling, putting down her chisel and hammer and sweeping up the wood chips.

Rapunzel picked up a marionette shaped exactly like a bear while Hiccup examined a plaque depicting bears dancing in the forest. 'But why...?' Hiccup began, 'Why are you so BAH!' He jumped a foot into the air. The woman had somehow crept right up next to him completely silently. She grinned almost toothlessly at Hiccup. 'See anything yeh like?' she asked. 'What about this,' she said shoving past Hiccup and picking up a chessboard, all the pieces of which were themed around bears.

'This is very nice,' Rapunzel said, smiling widely. 'Ah yes, one of a kind that,' the carver said, walking over to Rapunzel who was holding a large, wooden jewelery box shaped exactly like a bear. The carver picked up a small key, placed it into the lock and opened it. 'Ooh, this is lovely,' Rapunzel said, looking through the miniature compartments in the box. Hiccup looked impressed at the box. Jack however was the only one who noticed the slight scraping sound. He turned to look at the source of the noise.

'YOUR BROOM!' he yelled, pointing at the stick which was sweeping by itself. 'What in the name of Thor!?' Hiccup yelled. 'OH MY!' Rapunzel squeaked. '_DOWN!_' The carver yelled and snapped her rheumatic fingers. The broom shuddered like it had been struck dumb and collapsed to the ground with a clatter. 'Your broom was sweeping by itself!' Rapunzel yelled pointing in bewilderment. 'Oh don't be silly,' the carver said nervously, 'Wood cannae be imbued with magical properties.' 'Yes it can,' Jack said, waving his staff.

'No it can't.' 'Yes it can.' 'No it can't!' 'And how would you know?' Jack demanded stiffly. 'I know because I'm a wi-!' The carver stopped herself just in time. 'You're a what?' Hiccup asked. 'I'm a... wee... whittler... of wood.' The carver smiled, nervously. 'Nice crow,' Rapunzel said, trying to change the subject. 'Leave that alone,' the whittler said, but too late. _'Bwark. Staring is rude,' _the crow said. This time Rapunzel really did scream. 'THE CROW'S TALKING! THE BLOODY CROW IS TALKING!' she shrieked. _'That's not all I can do,' _the crow said and it began singing (if singing can be defined by someone shouting "la la la," repeatedly.)

The whittler snapped her fingers and the broom rushed into the air and whacked the crow hard on the head before sweeping it under a table. Hiccup gasped. 'YOU'RE A WITCH!' he yelled. 'Wood-carver,' the Witch said chiseling away at the oaken block. 'You have a talking crow!' Rapunzel said. 'Wood-carver,' the Witch said a little more sternly, carving a bear sculpture on a lathe instantaneously. 'You have a self-sweeping broom!' Jack yelled. The Witch swung an axe down onto a log. It split into a 360 degree model of a bear. 'WOOD-CARVER!' she shrieked.

'YOU ARE A WITCH! Jack, Rapunzel and Hiccup yelled together. 'I'M NOT A WITCH ANYMORE! TOO MANY UNSATISFIED CUSTOMERS!' The Witch barked, pointing a gnarled finger at the trio. 'Unless you are going to buy something,' the Witch said in silky tones, clasping her hands together, 'GET OUT!' she roared. She snapped her fingers and every single carving tool in the shop came to life and flew into the air. Saws, chisels, axes and even screwdrivers and pieces of sandpaper were pointing at the three.

The door opened. 'Now, now calm down.' Merida had entered. The Witch turned to look at the princess. 'Oh not you again,' she said. 'What does that mean?' Merida asked, folding her arms. 'Last time you were 'ere, yeh blew up my house.' 'I apologised for that,' Merida said, 'I supplied the wood to rebuild your home.' The Witch sighed. 'True,' she said. 'Besides, I was a satisfied customer,' Merida said. The Witch blushed. 'Oh stop it, you're embarrassing me,' she said. The tools collapsed to the ground. 'Do you think you could help us out?' Merida asked. There was a moment's hesitation. 'Oh, alright then,' the Witch said and pushed the four outside. The crow flew out with them.

'You're very good with flattery,' Jack whispered into Merida's ear. She smiled. The Witch snapped her fingers and the door slammed shut behind them. 'Right,' the Witch said walking back up to the door. 'What was that about?' Hiccup asked. The Witch turned to Hiccup smiling. 'Never conjure where you carve sweetie, very important,' the Witch said pushing the door open. Hiccup's jaw dropped at the same time as Jack's staff and Rapunzel's frying pan.

The workshop had transformed. It was now a sorcerers laboratory. Books of potion recipes were stacked either neatly on shelves or lying haphazardly on tables. Jars of powders, liquids and strange ingredients were in large cabinets and bottles of elixirs were stored in a cabinet of mahogany. In the dead centre of the room was a massive, black cauldron.

The Witch clapped her hands and a green light and smoke began to emanate from the mouth of the cauldron. 'Now what can I help you with?' the Witch asked, sitting down in a rocking chair. 'How good are you at dream interpretation?' Merida asked, leaning on the table. 'It's been a while but I've still got some info in one of my books.' The Witch got back to her feet and started browsing across the bookshelves. 'I'm sure it's around here somewhere,' The Witch said throwing the books over her shoulder. One of them hit Hiccup on the head and then bounced off of Rapunzel's bosom.

'Ah ha, here we are,' The Witch said, tugging a massive, dusty volume down from the self and dropped it down onto the table with an almighty crash that caused Toothless to jump, even though he was outside. She opened the cover. 'What did you dream about?' she asked. The explanation took a surprisingly short time. The Witch hummed as she made notes. 'Very interesting,' she would say. At long last, she put down her quill.

'So...' she said, clapping her hands, 'What d'ya think it means?' There was silence. 'Wha...? You mean you don't know?' Rapunzel said. The Witch shrugged. 'I don't know what it means...' she began. 'Oh, I'm so glad we've got you then,' Hiccup said sitting down grumpily. 'Let me finish,' the Witch continued, 'I don't know what the actual dream meant, but I do know the meaning of the structure of the dream.' Jack sat down in the chair opposite the Witch. 'What does it mean?' he asked.

'You were all having the same dream and yet you were all consciously aware within the dream. It was almost like you were playing your lives altogether in a dream world.' 'What does that mean?' Merida asked. The Witch smiled. 'It means your souls are resonating together.' Rapunzel, Hiccup, Merida and Jack simply gave a blank expression. 'And what does that mean?' Hiccup asked. The Witch sighed.

She walked back over to the bookshelves and pulled down a volume entitled "Phantomology." She dropped the book onto the table with an incredible CRASH! She opened the cover and began to flick through the book. She stopped at a page entitled "Soul Resonance." 'Your friendship bonds are so strong that you've become interlinked,' the Witch said pointing to the diagrams. 'What does it mean for us?' Rapunzel asked.

'It means if you manage to fully master resonance, it'll make you a hundred times more powerful.' Jack's eyes flashed. 'How do we do that?' Hiccup asked, leaning in close to listen intently. 'I'll give you each a spell that'll give you a helping hand,' the Witch said smiling before getting to her feet. She reached into a chest and pulled out a small bar of iron and threw it into the cauldron. It hissed and the green liquid turned into a thunder cloud.

She reached under the cabinet, pulled out a small root, cackled and threw it over Jack's head. It bounced off Hiccup's scalp and landed in the cloud. It burst into yellow light and bubbled. Rapunzel looked up. She was sure she had heard a minor scream when the root went past her head. The Witch opened a draw, pulled out four jewels (one ruby, one yellow topaz, one sapphire and one emerald), and dropped them into the cauldron too. The yellow liquid took on the texture of liquid diamond.

She then clapped her hands and the crow flew over each of their heads and pull out a hair from each; a pure white fiber of Jack's hair, a red lock of Merida's, a brown cutting of Hiccup's and one long, blonde strand of Rapunzel's. The Witch held all four in her hand, held them over the cauldron and dropped them in. The blue potion turned the colour and texture of lava.

'That'll do the trick,' the Witch said, picking up a large metal ladle, lowering it into the cauldron and stiring slowly. The Witch then lifted out the ladle to check on it and found that it had dissolved completely. She sighed, threw it over her shoulder and put on a metal welding helmet. Rapunzel, Jack and Hiccup stared, but Merida had seen it all before. The Witch then slipped a helmet onto the crow's head. She then dusted a small amount of powder into the cauldron.

Jack, Hiccup and Rapunzel leant in to have a look. Merida however had narrowed her eyes. The Witch suddenly realised what the three were doing. She clamped her hands over Rapunzel and Hiccup's eyes while Merida covered her own and Jack's. 'What are you...?' Jack began to ask but "BOOM!" With an almighty bang, a flash of light so powerful it passed straight through the walls of the hut came into being. Toothless screeched in alarm, tripped over his own tail and knocked himself out.

The Witch removed the welding mask. 'Now that should...' she began before realising that the explosion had left soot all over their faces. The Witch giggled. 'I don't believe it,' Hiccup groaned, wiping a thin line of soot of his face with his fore-finger. Rapunzel lifted up her hair to her eyes; it's normally golden-blonde colour had turned copper. Jack's pure white hair had turned dark-grey. Merida's red hair had become rusty. Hiccup's brown hair now looked completely black. 'Sorry,' the Witch said and threw a blue powder into the air which fell onto their heads and caused the soot to instantly vanish.

'Right,' the Witch said, picking up a pair of metal tongs. She gently lowered them into the currently snotty green, treacle-thick, slowly bubbling substance with a low glop, searched around, cackled with triumph and lifted a rough, stone-grey ball out of the cauldron. The moment the ball had left the liquid, the skin of the potion collapsed to the bottom of the cauldron. The Witch placed the ball on the table, picked up a pick-axe and gently tapped the ball with it. There was a tap, a splutter, a groan and a shatter. Jack stepped gently raised his hand to his left ear; a piece of the stone ball had missed him by half an inch. Merida and Rapunzel had been less lucky; several shards had become entangled in their hair. Hiccup was probably the worst off; a particularly sharp fragment had pinged off his head and had given him a small cut.

The Witch dusted away the fragments. In the middle of the mess were four rings and each of them had one of the jewels set into them. Merida reached over and picked up the ruby ring, Hiccup chose the emerald, Rapunzel selected the topaz and Jack lifted up the sapphire. 'Place them on your middle fingers,' the Witch instructed. They did so. 'Now what?' Rapunzel asked. 'I don't know, you'll have to work it out for yourselves.' Before any of the four could argue, the Witch snapped her fingers and the door opened. Instantaneously, the big four were flung out of the doorway and landed in a heap on the ground. Two clangs and a couple of clatters told them that their weapons hand landed on top of them.

Jack jumped up. 'WHAT THE HELL DID YOU...?' he stopped. The hut had vanished. They were now all standing back in the circle of stones. Hiccup looked around just to make sure where they were. Toothless was standing right behind them. 'I'm sure the hut was standing in a woodland,' Rapunzel said. 'It was,' Merida said, sitting up. 'This happened last time I was here.' Jack rubbed his arm. 'Now what?' he asked. 'We'll just head over to my home,' Merida said, pulling Rapunzel to her feet. 'And where do you live?' Hiccup asked pulling himself up. 'Castle Dunbroch,' was the response. Jack (who had just picked up his staff) dropped it again. 'Where?'


	7. Chapter 7: The Plot deepens

Chapter 6: The plot begins to deepen

**This is just a little drabble to pass the time, but it is still in my personal canon.**

* * *

The Witch smiled as she watched the big four fly out of her door which slammed shut behind them. Once the door had closed however, her smile fell. She bit her lip. Something was amiss. Something big.

The Witch walked over to a chest, lifted a key put of her pocket and unlocked it. Inside it was a crystal, a mirror and a gong. She lifted them out and slung them over her shoulder. 'Get the weather staff,' she said to the crow. The Witch stepped out of the door and looked up to the heavens. A cloud was covering the moon.

She set the crystal onto a plinth, placed the mirror onto a nail in a tree and placed the gong beside the crystal. The crow dropped the staff and the Witch caught it before it hit the ground. She looked up to the sky, raised the staff and fired a bolt of light into the cloud. The cloud would normally burst apart and vanish, but this one was rippling almost like it was in pain. The Witch fired a second, more powerful bolt upwards and the cloud shimmered again. Tiny holes were appearing. One final blast and the cloud vanished.

The full moon glowed high above. The Witch raised the staff and whacked the gong as hard as she could. It made a sound like it had been hit under water. The noise reverberated around the forest and died away. Then, a bright, silvery-blue light shot down from the moon. It hit the crystal, refracted out and hit the mirror. Instead of reflecting off however, the light hovered around the silver surface and created a face.

The Man-in-the-Moon appeared in the mirror. Normally he would be smiling, calm and looking slightly sleepy, but now he looked stern, serious and wide-awake, even worried. Seeing the MiM looking worried was worrying in itself. 'You're looking peeky, your Imperial Majesty,' The Witch said. 'Hmm,' MiM said, 'I havn't been sleeping well lately Mistress.'

'I'm going to skip the introductions and get down to business,' the Witch said, folding her arms, 'Why have you sent a Guardian, a princess and viking here to Scotland?' 'There is a reason,' MiM said, 'I'll tell you, but you must trust my reasoning.' The Witch nodded. 'Have you heard of the legend of the Darkness?'

* * *

Pitch looked at his globe of the Earth, covered with hundreds upon hundreds of glittering golden lights. The globe was hollow and was actually made of metal continents and islands all linked together and held up. He snarled and thumped the globe with his fist. The globe shuddered and the lights flickered. In the centre of the globe, Pitch could see the Big Four walking through a forest.

'Annoying aren't they.' Pitch turned. Gothel was standing right behind him. 'You don't know the half of it Gothel,' Pitch sighed turning back to the globe. Mor'du and Red Death lay underneath the various bridges that stretched across his domain. They were both fast asleep. Pitch sat down, his back to the globe. Gothel sat down next to him.

Gothel was quiet and so was Pitch. He conjured a small sand model of Jack Frost. 'So why do you hate Jack Frost?' Gothel asked. 'He was the **ONE**,' he snapped, crushing Jack in his clenched fist 'Who brought about my fall from power. I was one inch from overthrowing the world when with one snowball, managed to pull it all back.' He unclenched his fist.

Gothel leaned in to have a look when Pitch closed his palm. 'So why do you hate Rapunzel Gothel?' Gothel grimaced at the name. 'She was once my ticket to youth and beauty,' Gothel said twirling her hair around her finger. 'You still are,' Pitch thought. 'She ran off with some bandit called Eugene,' Gothel finished angrily. 'Eugene?' Pitch asked. 'Yes, Eugene Fitzherbert,' Gothel finished. 'If you want, I could find him and plague him with nightmares until his dying day,' Pitch said smiling cruelly. Gothel smiled at him. 'Oh, I would love that Pitch.' 'My pleasure Gothel,' Pitch said silkily.

* * *

Jack, Hiccup and Rapunzel followed Merida through the woods. Jack was perfectly fine with the dark forest as he'd lived out of doors for 300 years before he became a guardian. Hiccup was okay, maybe a little nervous and a tiny bit jumpy, but he was a viking and had lived on a dangerous island that used to be attacked by dragons. Rapunzel on the other hand had lived in a remote tower for the majority of her life and had spent the rest of it in a castle. The only night she had spent in a forest at night, she'd had a nice fire to keep her warm.

She was shaking slighty, eyeing every shadow with misgiving. An owl flew overhead and hooted. Merida, Jack and Hiccup stared up the tree to which Rapunzel had run. She was clinging to a branch, shaking so hard that leaves were falling out of the tree. 'Rapunzel calm down and come down,' Jack called up to her. She shook her head wildly, her eyes tightly shut.

Merida sighed, grabbed Rapunzel's trailing hair and pulled. Rapunzel was tugged out of the tree and hit the ground. Just after that, the branch she had been holding onto snapped, fell and whacked her in the solar plexus. Merida, Jack and Hiccup winced. They leant over Rapunzel. 'Are you alright?' Hiccup asked, tentatively. 'Yeah, fine,' came a croak. They pulled her to her feet. 'Come on,' Merida said, 'Not too far now.'

Hiccup's belly made a loud grumbling. Everyone stared at it. 'Sorry,' he said. At this point, Jack and Rapunzel's stomachs made similar rumbling noises. 'I'm guessing you're all hungry?' There were noises of awkward agreement. 'Dinnae worry, me dad always puts on a feast every night.' Toothless made a sound of delight.

* * *

**IT** _watched them from high above. The Witch was being extremely annoying. Her soul was creating a powerful energy that was resisting _**IT**_, but it didn't go far. _**IT **_flowed across the ground, not taking... well... _**IT **_didn't really have eyes. It had been millenia since _**IT **_had eyes. Nevertheless, _**IT**_ could still see them. It was time to act. The Night Fury would be a tricky problem._

**IT** _had not waited for over five billion years to be defeated by a giant reptile however. _**IT **_had planned for an occasion just like this. _**IT **_would have laughed and smiled if _**IT**_ had a mouth. A shadow flowed from _**IT**_ and opened a doorway. Out of it stepped Mor'du and the Red Death. instinctively, they knew what to do. They marched toward the castle of Dunbroch._

_Darkness was coming. Silence was falling. Fear was rising. Madness was brewing._

_Evil was arriving._


	8. Chapter 8: Fall of the Guardians

Chapter 8: Fall of the Guardians

**_Short, but very sharp._**

* * *

A day and a few hours earlier...

The portal opened high in the mountains. A team of Reindeer rushed through, lowing deeply, tugging a sleigh through with it. North cracked the reigns and the sleigh rushed forward faster still. Sandy stood up on his seat to see past North's massive backside. Bunnymund was nervously holding onto the sides of the sleigh. Tooth was staring ahead at her palace which was approaching.

The sleigh flew into the mountain of Punjam Hy Loo better known to you maybe as the Tooth Palace. All of the Guardians were horrified. It was absolutely empty. No Tooth-boxes. No Mini-fairies. Even the towers had been stripped of their vines, tiles and murals. The coin machines were smashed across the towers, pennies scattered everywhere. The nests that mini-fairies slept in on their off hours were ripped apart.

Blood was spattered on the walls.

Tooth was in tears with panic and horror. The sleigh landed with a soft thump and scratch onto the "Europe" tower. Tooth jumped out and flew into the air, desperate to find a sign of her faires or the teeth. Nothing.

'Looking for something,' came a voice. All four heads snapped upwards. Pitch was leaning over the edge of one of the towers. 'AAAAAAHHHHHH!' Tooth shrieked with rage, flew straight towards Pitch and before he could do anything, grabbed him by the throat. 'Pitch,' she snarled, 'I am going to give you precisely ten seconds to return my fairies and the teeth.' 'I don't think you can give me orders.'

A roar echoed around the palace. A massive black bear charged from behind the tower and rammed Tooth over the edge. She looked back up at her assailant. The giant bear reered up and roared. 'Down Mor'du,' Pitch said, gently stroking the fur along the bear's back. Mor'du returned to all-fours and snorted angrily at the Guardians.

Pitch smiled. 'I have had enough of your interfering ways Guardians,' Pitch said, tickling Mor'du behind the ears. He purred gently. 'This time, I'm going to make sure you don't get in my way again.' With a roar, the Red Death flew into the palace. Mother Gothel rode on it's back. 'Now,' Pitch said calmly.

The Red Death opened it's jaws and shot a jet of black fire. The Guardians turned and began to run, but the black fire caught up with them almost instantaneously. Sandy managed to jump over the edge just in time. The other three weren't as lucky. Sandy never found out what happened to the Guardians, but as far as he knew... he was the only one left.

* * *

Pitch wiped a tear from his eyes. 'Oh,' he lamented, 'It's almost enough to make one weep.' Gothel turned to him in surprise. 'It's just a pity that I'm so incredibly HAPPY!' He cackled and embraced Gothel tightly. 'Now,' Pitch said, staring into her eyes, 'Nothing can stand in our way.'

It was at this point that something awkward happened; Gothel misread Pitch's body language and kissed him.


	9. Chapter 9: Castle DunBroch and The Queen

Chapter 9: Castle DunBroch and Queen Elinor

* * *

Jack, Hiccup and Rapunzel stared at the massive castle. 'Yea, ah know, it's nae very impressive,' Merida said bashfully. 'IT'S MASSIVE!' Hiccup yelled, 'It makes my home look like a shed.' Toothless whined nervously. 'Where's Toothless gonna sleep?' Hiccup asked, patting his dragon on the snout. 'There's room in the stables,' Merida said.

Rapunzel opened her mouth then closed it again. This was a proper castle. She'd seen pictures of them in the library in Corona castle. That was a castle designed to impress; this was a proper castle built for function. Rapunzel stared, unable to do anything else. 'Amazing,' she said. 'Come on,' Merida said, 'I'll introduce you.'

* * *

Jack stared around the courtyard as Toothless was put into the stables. Was he impressed? Yes he was. A small neigh was heard at this point. Turning, Merida smiled as Angus came trotting towards her. She rubbed her horse on the muzzle. 'Thanks fer leaving meh behind, best thing yeh could have done.'

'Are yeh hungry?' Angus whinnied with excitement. Merida chuckled. 'Oats it is then.' Toothless gave a small chirrup. 'And yeh can have some... what does he like?' 'Fish.' 'We've got salmon.' 'That'll do nicely.'

* * *

Merida showed the three into the castle kitchen. It was a bustling hive of activity; mead was being poured into jugs, chicken's being turned on the spit and someone was shelling peas. 'Evening Maudie,' Merida said to a fat woman holding a plate of cakes. The woman nodded smiling, placed the plate down on a table and turned to a platter of unpeeled potatoes.

As fast as possible, Merida snatched up the plate of cakes, handed it to the others and told them to hide them in their pockets. They did so. 'Come wi' me,' Merida said. She opened a door and showed them into the cavernous hall beyond. 'Ah, Merida,' came a deep, gruff and very Scottish voice. Jack turned and his jaw dropped. If the figure in front of them had been on all-fours and covered with fur, it would have been incredibly easy to mistake him for bear.

A massive, muscular with bright red hair was standing in front of them. He looked even bigger than North, although not by much. He smiled and stepped forward. A dull "_clunk!" _was heard on his every other step. Looking down, Jack saw that the man's left foot had been replaced with a peg-leg, like Hiccup's had been [emphasis on the word **_had_**].

'Hi dad,' Merida said, smiling and hiding a few of the cakes further down her pockets. 'And who'r yer freinds?' The man asked. He stepped forward. 'Guys,' Merida said gesturing to her dad, 'This is mah dad, King Fergus Dunbroch.' 'Hi,' Jack said stepping forward with his hand outstretched, 'I'm J-' but he was cut off when Fergus stepped straight through him. His face fell. Merida, Hiccup and Rapunzel stared, slack-jawed. 'Don't, just don't say anything,' Jack said.

'Umm...' Merida hesitated, 'Dad, this is Rapunzel, she's a princess as well.' Rapunzel curtsied nervously. 'Hiya lass,' Fergus said, clapping Rapunzel on the back and accidently knocking her to the ground. 'Ach sorry,' he chuckled, pulling her back to her feet and setting her down quite hard with a wobble. 'And this is Hiccup,' Merida continued, gesturing to the young viking boy. Fergus shook Hiccup's hand, shaking him right down to the core. When Fergus let go of Hiccup's hand, Hiccup rocked back and forth due to the vibrations still coursing through his body.

'Dad, where's mum?' Merida asked. 'Sewing the tapestry upstairs,' Fergus said, 'You go and introduce your new friends and I'll go and find the boys.' 'Come on,' Merida said to the other three and lead them towards the stairs. 'Jack,' Merida asked, turning to face the winter spirit, 'Why did mah dad walk straight through you?' Jack sighed. 'He obviously doesn't believe in me.' 'What do you mean by that?' Rapunzel asked. 'A guardian can only be seen if someone believes in them,' Jack said, glumly, 'And it seems your dad doesn't.'

* * *

Merida turned the doorknob and opened the bedroom door. Inside was a very comfortable looking four-poster bed, a cheerfully crackling fire, a chest-of-draws balancing a bowl of fruit and a sewing kit and sitting in front of a large green tapestry was a thin lady wearing a green silken gown and a small golden coronet inlade with a single green stone.

'Hi mum,' Merida said stepping forward. The Queen turned. 'Merida, I wondered what had happened to you,' the Queen said, smiling. 'Who are your friends?' she asked. 'This is Hiccup, mum,' Merida said, gesturing to the viking lad. The Queen got to her feet, walked over to them and shook Hiccup's hand. 'I am Queen Elinor Dunbroch,' she said.

'And who are you?' she asked Rapunzel. 'I'm Rapunzel Fitzherbert, your majesty,' Rapunzel said, curtseying. 'She's a princess as well mum.' Elinor looked very pleased. 'Nice to meet another member of royalty.' Elinor shook Rapunzel's hand.

'And what is your name young man?' Elinor asked. Jack turned around to see who she was talking to... then realised she was talking to him. 'Hang on,' Jack said, bewildered, 'You can see me?' 'Of course I can see you,' Elinor said. She seemed half-amused, half-bemused. 'If you can see me...' Jack began, 'Do you believe in Jack Frost?' Elinor looked slightly confused by the question, but answered anyway. 'Since several months ago, I've believed in every form of mytholo...' she stopped.

'You're Jack Frost?' 'Yeah, I... I'm sorry I just didn't think an adult would be able to see me.' Queen Elinor smiled kindly. 'Well, I take it you'll be staying here for a few days?' 'It seems so mum,' Merida said smiling and sitting down on the bed. 'We haven't got any rooms to spare, but Merida, do you think that you have enough room?'

Merida's face fell.

* * *

_Merida was lying in her bed... in-between Jack and Rapunzel. Hiccup was sleeping the other side of Jack. Merida's left eye was twitching. She couldn't believe this; her mother had virtually forced her to give up her bed to her "friends." She liked to have people her own age to talk to, but this was pushing it to the limit._

_She rolled over, nearly crushing Rapunzel. This was so frustrating. She liked space to move around in in bed. She needed to move her muscles to tire them out a little. She was already getting stiff. She was starting to get hot. She couldn't take it._

_SHE SCREAMED!_

* * *

Merida's eye twitched. 'Are you alright?' Elinor asked. Merida snapped back to the world. 'Oh Merida, when I said stay in your room, I didn't mean in your bed.' 'Oh thank god for that,' Merida exhaled, lying down on her back.

* * *

Dinner that night was a very enjoyable affair. Jack was playing a with the triplets; it seemed that they all had the same sense of humor. He was very pleased to find that they could see him as well. Hiccup stuffing food down his throat whilst Rapunzel was sticking to the vegetables only. Merida was sitting bored at the table next to her mother and both were bored with listening to Fergus's tale of Mor'du.

'From nowhere, biggest bear yeh've ever seen. His hide littered with the weapons of fallen warriors, his face scared.' Rapunzel was crouching low on her chair with fear. Hiccup had slowed down eating to listen more closely. Jack had stopped playing with the Triplets to pay more attention. Fergus continued. 'I drew my sword and...' 'WHOOSH!' Merida screamed. All of the guests screamed at this, even Jack.

'One swipe, his sword shattered. Then, CHOMP! His leg was clean off... down the monster's throat it went.' 'Oh, that's my favourite part!' Fergus moaned. 'I don't like this story,' Rapunzel whimpered, peeking over the top of the table that she had dived under. Queen Elinor chuckled. 'You forget dear, who was it that actually defeated Mor'du?' 'It was you love,' Fergus said reluctantly.

'You defeated the bear?' Hiccup said amazed. 'Indeed I did sweetie,' Queen Elinor said, ruffling through a few papers. 'How?' Jack asked. 'I'll tell you later.' 'Tell who what later, love?' Fergus asked. Elinor smiled. Jack had explained the situation more fully to them all. 'I'll tell you that later as well dear,' Elinor said smiling up at her husband.

Hiccup was still reflecting on the story of Mor'du and the loss of Fergus's leg. 'I seem to have suddenly lost my appetite,' Hiccup said, putting down his cutlery. 'Me too,' Jack said, taking a small gulp of water to settle his stomach. 'Me three,' Rapunzel said, pushing her plate away from her. 'You "_three"_?' Fergus babbled, 'But who was the second?' 'I told you before and I'll tell you again: I'll explain later.'

* * *

That night wasn't as bad as Merida had expected. Rapunzel had made a hammock out of her hair and was swinging back and forth gently. Hiccup was fast asleep on the chaise-longue with nothing but a blanket covering him up. Jack was floating in mid-air. Merida sighed. It wasn't too bad.

She yawned, turned over and fell asleep.

* * *

_While out in the forest, the shaggy form of a massive bear plodded through the undergrowth._

_Down by the lake, a monstrous dragon was hiding in the waters, waiting for the perfect moment._

_And up in the sky... the stars began to go out... and there were no clouds._


	10. Chapter 10: Elinor's Wrath

Chapter 10: Elinor's wrath

**Warning; small amount of foul language**.

* * *

The next morning, Jack, Hiccup and Rapunzel were rudely awoken by loud voice. 'Get up, ya sweer goons!' Merida laughed. Rapunzel jumped, her hair unravelled and she fell to the floor. Hiccup yelled and rolled off of the chaise-longue. Jack awoke, fell from his floating position in the air and landed on the other two. Merida laughed again.

'What are you doing?' Rapunzel groaned indignantly, rubbing her head. 'Are ye always this lazy?' Merida asked them all folding her arms, 'It was sun-up ten minutes ago.' Hiccup sat up. His jaw dropped. 'It's just sun-up!' he yelled. 'And to my standards, that's practically noon,' Merida said. 'And to my standards,' Rapunzel said, clambering onto the recently vacated chaise-longue, 'It's still sun-up.'

'Why are you up this early anyway?' Jack yawned. 'Ahm gonna take Angus oot fer his mornin' ride,' Merida replied, picking up her bow and a refilled quiver of arrows and swung them over her shoulder. 'Are ye comin'?' she asked them at large. 'I think I speak for us all when I say no,' Hiccup said, rolling onto his side. 'Fine then,' Merida said, smiling, 'You can stay here and muck out the stables.'

Jack's, Rapunzel's and Hiccup's eyes widened in horror.

* * *

Jack, Rapunzel and Hiccup stared, repulsed, at the massive pile of horse dung. It was literally as tall as Jack's staff and was actually steaming in the cold early morning air. The stench was incredible. Hiccup clapped his hand to his mouth to stop himself retching. Merida passed Rapunzel a broom, Jack a shovel and Hiccup a bucket. All three gulped in dread. 'See yah later,' Merida said sweetly, riding her horse away into the woods.

The work was slow. Rapunzel swept the dung, Jack shovelled the dung and Hiccup moved the dung out of the stable.

When Merida returned, she laughed out loud. Rapunzel was looking exhausted and bits of straw were stuck all over her hair. Jack's hair was dripping with sweat and the shoulders of his hoodie were caked with mud. Hiccup's hair, body... well, his entire body was covered with horse dung. It appeared that he had tripped over a stray broomstick and had fallen, head-first into the bucket he was holding, which just happened to be full.

* * *

The three snapped out of their horrible vision. 'WE'LL COME WITH YOU!' they all said hurriedly. 'Thanks,' Merida said.

* * *

'COME ON!' Merida called back to the others. Hiccup and Rapunzel were riding their own horses and Jack was flying along with them. 'THIS IS AMAZING!' Rapunzel screamed at the top of her voice. 'OH MY GODS!' Hiccup yelled amazed. 'THIS IS AWESOME!' Jack roared in delight.

Merida fired an arrow at one of her targets. It hit it. Rapunzel lifted her frying pan and whacked the target as she passed. Jack fired a bolt of ice. The entire thing froze over. As he passed it, Hiccup lifted out his leg and kicked the target. It shattered. All four of them roared with triumph.

* * *

Merida pointed up to the top of the Crone's Tooth peak. 'We've got to climb up there?' Hiccup said with tone of dread. 'Dinnae worry,' Merida said smiling. 'Come on,' Jack said and leapt into the air. 'Oh no yeh don't,' Merida said, grabbing his foot. 'Hey,' Jack said, looking down. 'No flying Frostbite; elbow grease.' Jack raised his eyebrows, but landed back on the ground, grumbling.

Merida jumped onto a crag of the peak and began to pull herself up. In thirty seconds, she had managed to scale a quarter of the peak. She stopped and looked back down. 'Come on' she called. Hiccup, Rapunzel and Jack turned to each other. 'Good bye,' they said to each other, shaking hands.

Rapunzel threw her hair over a small outcrop of the crag and then tied the other end to Hiccup's waist. She slowly began to pull herself up. Hiccup followed her slowly up the peak, trying to keep his eyes off the ground. Jack climbed up quickly; not because of his athletics, but because of his abilities with the wind.

Hiccup accidentally cut his hand on a jagged outcrop. He yelped, slipped and fell. Rapunzel screamed as her hair was pulled tight suddenly. Jack hovered down, picked up Hiccup and returned him to his original position on the rock face. He was shuddering slightly. 'Are you alright?' Jack asked nervously. Hiccup nodded.

Merida was waiting for them all at the top. Rapunzel, Hiccup and Jack finally made it to the top and they collapsed. 'Get back up,' Merida said excitedly. The other three groaned. 'Come on,' Merida said. They did what she said and got back to their feet. 'LOOK!' Merida shouted with excitement. They looked.

The sun peeked out from behind a mountain and it's light burst through a cloud bank. Merida turned and looked at the waterfall behind them. The other three turned to look as well. They were amazed despite themselves. The light from the sun shone up the waterfall. The wall of water looked like it was made of fire. 'And that's why they're called the Fire Falls,' Merida said. She sounded unusually serious.

'Take a drink,' she said. Hesitating for a moment, Hiccup, Rapunzel and Jack extended their hands. The water flowed into their palms. They lifted the liquid to their mouths and swallowed it. Jack felt an incredible rush. It filled him with a sort of fiery energy. He felt like screaming to the world 'I DID IT! I CLIMBED THE CRONE'S TOOTH! I DRANK FROM THE FIRE FALLS!' Jack felt himself laugh.

* * *

Later on, when they had all finally returned to castle DunBroch, the strode into the great hall. Merida's jaw dropped with horror. The other clans had gathered for the six-month anniversary of Mor'du's defeat... and her father was dancing and singing the song of Mor'du.

_'Come taste ma blade ye manky bear for gobblin' up ma leg!_

_I'll hunt ye then I'll skin ye, hang your noggin on a peg!_

_'MOR'-DU, MOR'-DU, MOR'-DU, MOR'DU!'_

Merida almost cried with embarrassment. Hiccup, Rapunzel and Jack however burst out laughing.

About half an hour later, Merida's face was buried in her hands as Hiccup was dancing next to Fergus, both shouting at the top of their voices _'MOR'-DU, MOR'-DU, MOR'-DU, MOR'DU! Now the time has come for all of us to slaughter you!' _Jack was laughing and Rapunzel was hovering beside the fire apparently torn between disapproval and amusement. Elinor was rubbing her forehead like she was suffering with a severe headache.

With one final shout of _'NOW THE TIME HAS COME FOR ALL THE CLANS TO SLAUGHTER YOU!', _Hiccup fell over backwards, his tankard of mead spilling over his head. Fergus stepped forward. 'So...' he hesitated, 'Here we all are... once again... umm...' 'Oh, I'll do it,' Queen Elinor said standing up. 'Fergus, sit down before you hurt yourself.' Fergus sat down blushing.

Elinor pulled Hiccup onto a seat, straightened up and cleared her throat. 'Gathered friends of the fellow clans, today we celebrate the six month anniversary of the defeat of the dreaded demon bear Mor'du.' There were cheers. Hiccup sat up, yelled along with everyone else and passed out again. 'As we remember, the times before then were dark and dangerous. The forests were shadowed and no one was safe.' There were mutterings of agreement.

'But thanks to all of our efforts...' 'It was all you,' someone shouted in the crowd. There were cheers of agreement. Queen Elinor blushed, but continued. 'Thanks to us all, Mor'du the demon bear was defeated. I propose a toast to us all.' Everyone raised their tankards. Hiccup just raised his hand. 'And may the Glens never hear his roar again.'

Right on cue, the doors burst open. Everyone whipped around. The massive hulking form of a great black bear stood in the doorway. It's left eye was dead. It roared. 'Mor'du' Elinor whispered in terror. 'MOR'DU!' Fergus roared, drew his sword and charged.

Hiccup sat up, all drunkenness gone. Jack leapt onto the table, grabbing his staff. Rapunzel snatched up her frying pan. Merida (who'd had her bow and arrows hidden under the table) seized up her weapons and aimed an arrow straight at Mor'du's heart. Everyone drew forth their weapons.

Mor'du... smiled. Then he roared.

It was a roar so loud that the entire castle seemed to shake. Everyone clapped their hands to their ears in a vain attempt to block out the noise.

Their weapons clattered to the floor. The candelabra was vibrating, the candles firing light-rays all over the place.

Glass began to shatter. Shards of the wickedly sharp material flew everywhere.

People screamed as the fragments of glass pierced their chests or split their ears. Stones in the wall began to crumble.

All of a sudden, people began to pass out.

When at least three quarters of the hall had collapsed, Mor'du's roar finally ceased and he padded out of the room.

* * *

Five minutes later, half the hall had managed recovered. Mor'du's roar was still echoing outside. Many people were cowering. Jack, Hiccup, Rapunzel and Merida stood at the doors, waiting on guard.

All of a sudden, an even louder roar echoed through the castle. Hiccup's eyes widened. 'That's... no...' He sprinted out of the doors. 'Hey, Hiccup,' Jack yelled. They pursued him. They shot out of the doors and screeched to a halt. Hiccup was very pale. The small axe he was holding had fallen to the ground. His eyes were fixed on a point high above them. They looked up, following his gaze. 'Oh my...' Rapunzel gasped. 'Oh crivens,' Merida whispered. 'Oh you are kidding me,' Jack said.

High in the sky, flying around the castle, was the Red Death. It opened it's jaws and incinerated the forest around the castle. Mor'du's roar suddenly echoed and they saw him just beyond the gates. He was at the head of an army of Spirit wolves, Harpies and Mandrakes. 'We can't defeat this alone.' Hiccup said. 'What do we do?' Rapunzel asked. Hiccup had the brains and Merida had the fighting experience. 'I know what to do,' said Jack.

The other three turned to him. 'Rapunzel, you stay here and heal anyone who's wounded.' Rapunzel nodded. 'I will take on the Red Death. Merida, you and Hiccup will prepare the defences for the castle and lead the guard. When Mor'du and the Nightmares attack, you must stop them.' Merida looked rather angry.

'I dinnae wanna get left behind,' she moaned. 'I wanna come and help...' 'NO!' Jack snapped. Merida backed off. Jack's body language had changed. He had never been like this before. His normally carefree attitude had vanished. He now looked more serious then he had been in all of his 300 years. 'You **_will_** stay here with your family. Remember: family must always come first.' Had anyone been looking close enough, they would have seen a small tear forming in the corner of Jack's left eye. He blinked it away.

Merida nodded. 'Come on Punzie,' she said to Rapunzel. Both girls headed back into the castle. Before she closed the doors, Merida turned Jack and said 'I hope you know what you're doing.' And with a final thud, the doors closed.

Jack turned. 'Hiccup, I told you to go inside.' Hiccup shook his head. 'I think I should help you out.' 'You've got to stay here and help the others defeat Mor'du and once you've done that, I can buy you time to get everyone out.' Hiccup smiled. He grabbed Jack's hand. 'And I can double that time.' Jack sighed and gave in.

'Hiccup, get Toothless,' He commanded. Hiccup immediately sprinted for the stables and came back with his Night Fury. He mounted it. 'Ready for this?' Jack asked. 'As ready as I'll every be,' Hiccup said. They both turned to the Dragon in the sky... and launched themselves into the air.

* * *

_What they didn't notice was that above them, the skies were black. Quite a scary thing when you realised... that there were no clouds whatsoever. If they had been looking, they would have felt like they were being watched... and they were._

* * *

The Red Death opened it's jaws to incinerate the walls of the castle when BANG! With a purple flash, a blast of fire struck it's hide. Turning it's head, it saw the Night Fury and it's rider fly past. It opened it's jaws to crush them both when WHOOSH! A sudden, freezing sensation made it turn and see a small blueish object fly past it in the opposite direction.

Hiccup flew Toothless behind the Red Death and fired more plasma blasts. It roared in anger and turned, but every time it did, Jack shot ice blasts into it's eyes. It had six of them and so far only two were covered. The Red Death whipped its club-like tail around. Jack swerved around the tail. Everything was going well... until the Red Death fired a bolt of blue hot fire.

The forest leapt into flames with an explosion so powerful that both Hiccup and Jack were blasted into the air. They were moving so fast that they actually skimmed across the tops of the trees and finally crashed into a stream.

With a groan, Hiccup pulled himself up. It was lucky that he had landed on top of Jack and that Jack himself was immortal. Hiccup helped Jack to his feet.

The Red Death swooped toward them.

* * *

Back at the castle, a battle was in full swing. The soldiers were battling well but there were many casualties. Lord Dingwall had already been forced to withdraw for severe injuries and young Macintosh had gone blind in his right eye. Fergus's false leg had been sliced off and he was limping heavily.

Merida was fighting hard. Her arrow twanged and arrows soared. Sweat was running down her forehead. A mandrake rushed her, opened it's jaws and began to scream. Merida was ready however. She leapt into the air and fired one of her fire arrows (a little gift from the witch.) It hit the mandrake and caused it to burst into flames.

A Harpy soared towards Merida. She lifted her bow, but a sudden rope of shining gold wrapped itself around the Harpy and smashed it into the castle wall. Turning, Merida saw that Rapunzel had used her hair as a whip, like Sandy did. She gave Merida a thumbs up.

A roar reverberated through the castle courtyard. Merida turned... and Mor'du pounced on top on her. He pinned her to the ground. Merida, for the first time, felt truly afraid. 'MERIDA!' Rapunzel screamed. She tried to rescue her friends, but a pack of Spirit wolves held her back. Fergus couldn't help his daughter as his lost leg was immobilized. Mor'du opened his jaws. Merida screamed.

'NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU FUCKING BASTARD!' Everyone turned to the source of the voice. Elinor Dunbroch was charging towards Mor'du and in the dim twilight she seemed to be growing. Her eyes were flashing. Her bared teeth seemed to be sharpening. Her jaws and nose were lengthening. Her upper body was swelling. Her skin seemed to be darkening. Looking closer, her skin was actually sprouting fur.

Suddenly, she leapt into the air and her dress ripped to shreds. When she hit the ground, she had become a massive, black bear. She roared and charged. Mor'du leapt off of Merida and charged at Elinor. The two rose onto their hind legs and attacked. Jaws ripped and claws slashed. Blood splashed to the ground.

Merida backed away. Her eyes were filled with tears of terror. Everyone had stopped fighting to watch the incredible spectacle.

Mor'du and Elinor circled each other and lunged again. Mor'du sank his jaws into Elinor's neck. She roared in pain.

Elinor slashed at Mor'du and caught him right in his uninjured eye. He bellowed and released her. Not wasting a second, Elinor jumped onto Mor'du's back and began tearing great chunks of his flesh out.

Mor'du roared even louder. 'MUM!' Merida screamed in terror. Mor'du rose onto his hind-legs and fell backwards, crushing Elinor under his bulk. Mor'du rolled off her and rose onto his hind legs. He fell onto Elinor, intending to crush her, but Elinor raised her two front paws and caught his with hers.

'MUM!' Merida screamed again, leaping to her feet and running to help her mother. '**_NO!' _**Elinor roared. Merida came to a halt. Her mother had spoken to her in bear-form. **_'GO AND FIND YOUR FRIENDS MERIDA!'_** Eilnor roared. Merida nodded.

She gestured to Rapunzel and both girls sprinted of into the woods to find the boys.


	11. Chapter 11: The Sword in the Cave

Chapter 11: The Sword in the Cave

_In which yaoi makes a tiny appearance._

* * *

Jack and Hiccup sprinted through the forest, the massive dragon behind them. The Red Death opened it's jaws and shot another jet of flame. Jack shot a bolt of ice which stopped the fire, but melted, drenching both the boys below. However, the ice also created a wall of steam which prevented the Red Death from seeing the humans below it. It snarled.

Merida and Rapunzel meanwhile were also sprinting as fast as they could. They could see the silhouette of the Red Death against the rising moon. 'COME ON!' Merida screamed as if trying to will her limbs to move faster, but her legs were getting tired.

Suddenly both girls stopped dead. A single Will-o-the-Wisp was hovering in the air in front of them. It whispered. It looked like it was beckoning. A further trail of Wisps appeared, leading deep into the woods. Merida looked at the Wisps, up at the Red Death and back to the Wisps.

She was anxious now. She knew she should go on to rescue her friends, but the Wisps were wise. The always guided you to where you needed to be.

For a full minute, Merida stood there in indecision. She gritted her teeth and then decided. She would follow the Wisps.

We will never know what fate would have occurred if Merida had decided to continue on her original path. Had she done so, this story would have a very different outcome indeed. But she didn't. She and Rapunzel followed the Wisps... deep into the forest.

The Red Death swooped low over the forest. It couldn't see it's human prey. No matter. It still had it's most formidible weapon. Flames leapt from it's jaws. The forest became a towering inferno.

Jack was panicking and Hiccup wasn't helping. 'TOOTHLESS!' he cried to the night, 'TOOTHLESS, WHERE ARE YOU?!' The Red Death turned it's head to face the boys. 'Shut up, Hiccup,' Jack hissed, 'You'll get us-' 'TOOTHLESS!' Hiccup shouted again, 'TOOTH-' '**SHUT UP!**' Jack bellowed so loudly that the Red Death could now directly target them both.

Both boys stared at the dragon. 'Now you've done it,' Jack said. Hiccup stared at Jack indignantly. 'MY FAULT! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SHOUTED SO LOUD THE RED DEATH HEARD US!' 'IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU SHOUTING FOR TOOTHLESS, I WOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO RAISE MY VOICE TO YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE!' They were forced to abandon their shouting match at this point because a sudden wall of flame flew mere inches over their heads.

* * *

Elinor and Mor'du were still at each others throats, almost literally. Teeth ripped. Claws tore. Blood flowed. Chunks of flesh littered the ground. Fur was strewn everywhere. Several teeth had been knocked out.

The Triplets stared at the writhing mass of fur and blood in terror. Fergus looked on, completely unable to help due to his immobilized leg. Pitch and Gothel watched from the tallest tower of castle DunBroch. Pitch smiled. Gothel rested her head on his shoulder. 'Soon,' Pitch said, 'Very soon.'

* * *

_High above, something was wrong. It was raining blackness. It was like drops of ink were falling from the heavens. Where they hit the ground, the grass wilted. The darkness then flowed together and became a sort of cloud. It drifted through the forest like a fog. It reached the stone circle._

_The stones were filled with magic; the neutral magic of nature. Nature is unbiased. It's power can be used for either good or evil. The nectar of some flowers can cure diseases bring strength, but the berries of some trees can bring illness and death._

_The blackness flowed up and covered all of the stones. They shimmered a sickly yellow... and crumbled. With the energy of the stones completely drained, a figure began to form in the dust._

_A base skeleton was starting to form, but suddenly the energy became insufficient and the skeleton collapsed. With the little energy it had left, the thing said_

us... need... more... power

* * *

Merida and Rapunzel followed the wisps deeper and deeper into the forest. Rapunzel was gasping for breath. Even Merida was starting to get worn out. The trail of wisps didn't seem to have an end and the smoke from the forest fires was very thick. They were feeling hot, but the air was feeling cold. Anyone who knows this feeling knows what I am on about. Also, the black rain was making them very tired.

'Merida,' came Rapunzel's pathetic moan, 'Can we please stop?' 'No,' Merida said, determinately marching on. All the same, Rapunzel suddenly refused to go a step further and flopped down onto the ground 'I'm sorry Merida,' Rapunzel half-gasped, half-sobbed, 'I can't.' At this point, even Merida lost her last drop of strength and collapsed next to Rapunzel. She felt so weary.

Both girls were too tired to notice that wisps were starting to appear in a circle around them... at least not until a small rumble sounded beneath them. When this happened, Merida sat up. She stared at the hundreds of wisps hovering around them. 'What-' Merida began, but suddenly the ground gave way.

Both girls screamed as they fell down... down... down... and... SPLASH!

The girls hit the icy cold surface of an underground ravine. They both screamed as the icy water hit their skins. Moments later, their heads broke the surface of the water and they gulped in the chilly cavern air. Coughing, sopping wet and freezing cold, Merida pulled herself out of the water. Moments later, she helped Rapunzel out of the ravine as well.

'Well,' Merida gasped, 'I've had warmer landings.' She suddenly sat up. In a passage in the cave wall... a soft golden light was shimmering. Both girls stared at it nervously. It could be anything.

* * *

Hiccup and Jack were sprinting through the forest. The Red Death was gaining on them. Then...

'AAAAAHHHHH!' Both boys fell through a hole in the ground and into a cavernous chamber. SPLAT! They landed on several soft tubers, squashing them beneath their mass. Groaning, Jack sat up. Looking up at the hole in the ceiling, he could see the Red Death swooping overhead. It seemed enraged. It obviously thought the boys had escaped it.

As fast as they could, Hiccup and Jack ran down a side passage out of the chamber and not a moment too soon. The second Jack's hood had whipped around the corner, a blast of fire burst into the cavern from the skylight high above. A smell of roasting plant matter followed the two. Obviously, the tubers had been barbecued.

The two boys hid in an alcove as the wall of flame rushed past. The boys sighed in relief as the flames died down. They then looked back at each other. For some reason, Jack had suddenly noticed just how cute Hiccup looked and Hiccup could see how handsome Jack was. 'Jack,' Hiccup whispered... and the two boys kissed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Merida and Rapunzel were still soaked to the bone. They had followed the light for half an hour now and the light still seemed to be exactly the same intensity as when they had first started following it.

All of a sudden, a blast of fire leapt across the passage ahead of them. It had missed them, but it was strong enough to dry them off. Both girls stood in silence for a moment after the flames had dissipated. 'What was that?' Rapunzel asked no one in particular. 'Only one way to find out,' Merida said and followed the passage up towards the source of the fire.

They rounded a corner and saw Jack and Hiccup walking up the passage towards them. 'Oh thank god,' Merida said and hurried forwards. SMACK! 'Where the hell have you been?' she demanded. 'We get chased by a dragon and she hits us on the head!' Jack said in incredulity. Merida sniffed angrily... and then sniffed again. 'What's that smell?' she asked.

'Oh, there were these weird tuber things back in the cavern.' Merida's eyebrows furrowed. 'Were they pale pink?' she asked. 'Um,' Jack thought. 'Yeah,' Hiccup said. Merida clapped a hand to her mouth. 'Those were Coition roots. Me dad says they're an aphrodisiac.' Jack's and Hiccup's eyes widened in horror.

'An' apparently,' Merida continued, 'When they're roasted, they make you...' What was the word she'd heard her father use? '... horny?' Jack and Hiccup stared in horror... and clasped their crotches.

**_Author's note_**

**_Me: The yaoi that is featured here is a one off because I am fond of it._**

**_Jack: Thank god for that._**

**_Me: Why do you say that?_**

**_Jack: Well... Hiccup's already got a girlfriend and I don't really fancy a relationship._**

**_Hiccup: I'm fine being with Astrid._**

**_Merida: Who?_**

**_Me: You'll find out later. Let's carry on._**

A golden light flared. The big four turned to it. The cave wall opened. Slowly, Jack lead the other three into the chamber beyond. The cave was vast. Stalactites and stalagmites connected the ceiling and floor. In the middle of the cave was a massive, boiling lake and at the centre was a small island. In the dead center of the island was a pillar of golden light.

Jack stepped forward. The second he did so, a voice boomed around the cavern. It made them all jump. The voice was so deep, it reverberated through their bones. It sounded what the voice of god might sound like. It said:

_'Answer my riddle and your goal you will see:_

_it makes grown men cry and brings a rise of the heart_

_it is worth billions in gold, but comes to you for free_

_anyone can have it and it is the greatest of art_

_this riddle may seem long, but will give you the sword_

_it can make people ill, but cannot be lived without_

_it causes most of all harmony and yet most of all discord_

_So answer me now. What is this riddle about?'_

'Oh dear,' Merida said, 'I cannae stand riddles.' Jack bit his lip. 'Well,' Rapunzel began hesitantly, 'I'm sure if we all work together we can answer it.' 'Can we hear the riddle again please?' Hiccup asked. The voice repeated the riddle.

'"Makes grown men cry",' Jack repeated. 'What makes grown men cry?' Merida asked, 'No idea, we'll come back to it.' '"Worth billions in gold"?' Rapunzel said. '"Comes to you for free"?' Hiccup said. 'Life?' Merida suggested. '"Anyone can have it and is the greatest form of art". That sounds about right,' Jack said.

'Hang on. "It makes people ill, but can't be lived without"?' Hiccup pointed out, 'If it was life, it wouldn't be mentioned in the riddle.' 'Yeah,' Rapunzel said, disappointed, 'We'll scrap that then.' '"Causes most of all discord"? Oil?' Jack suggested, 'But then again, it's not very harmonious.'

'Water?' Hiccup said. 'It can't be lived without causes a lot of discord with people fighting over it.' 'I don't think it makes people cry though.'

Merida snapped and began shouting things at random. 'Time? Air? Light? Plants? Love? Laughter?' 'Wait,' Hiccup said, 'What did you say?' 'Laughter?' Merida said. 'No before that,' Hiccup said. 'Love?' Merida said. Everyone paused at this.

'"Makes grown men cry and brings a rise of the heart".' 'Rise of the heart probably means increase in pulse so yes,' Rapunzel said. '"Worth billions in gold, but comes to you for free." Yep that sounds right,' Jack said. He was starting to get excited. '"Anyone can have it and is the greatest form of art,"' Merida repeated. 'I don't know about anyone, but that sounds about right.'

'It made me feel ill when I first saw Astrid,' Hiccup said. 'And I suppose it really can't be lived without,' Rapunzel said. 'It causes harmony by bringing people together, but causes discord by causing people to fight over someone,' Jack finished. 'It all fits!' Merida said.

'LOVE!' they all cried. There was silence which stretched on for a whole minute. Rapunzel was starting to feel nervous. What if it was wrong?

_'Your answer is right. You may pass by tonight.'_

All of a sudden, a pathway of stepping-stones rose out of the lake and bobbed on the surface. Slowly, Jack began to lead them over the wet stepping-stone bridge. At one point, there was a yelp as Hiccup slipped and his foot slipped into the water. 'YOUCH!' Hiccup screamed, hopping on the spot, clutching his foot.

After a quarter of an hour, the four finally managed to cross over the path and landed on the island in the center of the lake. Hiccup crouched down and examined his scolded foot. Rapunzel wrapped her hair around it and sang 'Flower gleam and glow.' Merida was the first to step toward the column of light. The light faded.

There was a sword. It was the most beautiful sword Merida had ever seen. The handle was made of ebony and was sparkling. Looking closer, you could see that the handle was bound with gold. In the middle of the handle, made of silver was the symbol of Caduceus. But the really beautiful part was the blade. It was covered with ancient symbols which were also inlade with gold, but the actual blade was made of a massive, flawless diamond.

Merida reached out and pulled the sword out of the ground. It glowed. The handle molded itself to Merida's hand. She felt a tingling. 'Nice sword,' Jack said, walking up to her. Merida lifted said sword up. Hiccup and Rapunzel came up to have a look as well. Suddenly, Jack, Hiccup and Rapunzel found themselves attached to the sword as well. The sword pointed itself up and all four were tugged through the ceiling.

* * *

Merida, Jack, Hiccup and Rapunzel sat up. They were back in the castle courtyard. Elinor was kneeling down wheezing and coughing. Fergus was limping heavily, using his sword as a walking stick. The triplets were gathered around them, looking worried. 'What happened?' Merida asked sitting up. Fergus limped over to them. 'All ah remember was a bright flash of light and suddenly Mor'du was runnin' away and that dragon had gone.'

After half an hour, everyone was sitting in the main hall. A feast had been served so everyone could regather their strength. Jack took a swing of mead in an attempt to drown his depression. Hiccup was ripping meat of a chicken leg with his teeth though he didn't seem to be interested. Rapunzel wasn't even eating at all. Merida was still examining the sword.

An image was appearing in the blade. It was a small village built high on the edge of a mountain. 'What's that?' Jack asked, leaning over Merida's shoulder. 'I have nae idea,' she responded. The blade suddenly morphed into a key. Hiccup and Rapunzel leant closer to have a look. The key pointed up to the nearest wall. A door began to form in the wall.

Looking around, Rapunzel saw that no one else seemed to have noticed. A keyhole formed in the door. 'Well,' Hiccup said, 'Shall we?' 'I dunno,' Jack said, 'I for one am still hungry.' 'Same here,' Rapunzel said, 'What is for next course?' 'Haggis,' Merida said. It seemed that none of the other three knew what haggis was.

'It's a sheep stomach,' Merida said.

* * *

_**I can safely say that within the minute, the big four had passed through the door.**_


End file.
